It Won't Be Soon Before Long
by Love Ink
Summary: Prequel-ish to my other story "Hands All Over". What its like to grow up with the Tacoma Killer as your cousin. Snippets of Angela growing up with Happy, the Mayans, and Kozik with some surprises along the way. Heavily tied into my other story and does not really stand alone.
1. Welcome to the Family

**Not necessarily a new story! Ties in heavily with my other fic "_Hands All Over" _so you may want to give that a read before delving into these little snippets... ;) **

**I've been promising to post these for awhile and just got this to where I liked it. :) Since I kind of hit a bit of a block with "Hands All Over" I figured I'd post and let y'all know that I'm still working on it, I swear! Its just taking longer then expected! Sorry! **

**I'll be posting random stories about Angela, Hap, and Kozik's past set before "Hands All Over" here! If there's anything you want to read or any ideas you have feel free to put them in a review! I love adding onto these character's pasts! :D**

**The ages are going to be all over the place. I am in no way trying to keep these in order. But here Happy is thirteen and Ang is...well, just being born. :) **

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but Angela and any other character's you don't recognize! :) The title of this story comes from another Maroon 5 album. ;) **

* * *

**_It Won't Be Soon Before Long_**

_Chapter 1: Welcome to the Family_

_By Love Ink_

Happy Lowman sat in the hospital waiting room next to his mom, bored out of his mind. At thirteen, he felt too old, too cool to be sitting there surrounded by baby toys and old people magazines waiting for any news about a baby he couldn't bring himself to care about. Whatever baby his aunt pushed out only meant that his uncle's attention would be divided, and Happy wasn't stupid, he knew he'd get the short end of the stick. As much as his Uncle Victor said he loved him, he wasn't his own flesh and blood like the new baby would be. Whatever free time Vic had would now be spent on the little brat which sucked because Vic had just started taking him to the range and teaching him how to shoot.

He tilted his head back against the wall, letting his eyes fall shut. Maybe if he fell asleep, no one would bug him. He awoke with a start when his mother hit him as Victor came bursting into the room, cigar in hand. "It's a girl!" he shouted grinning from ear to ear. "A beautiful baby girl!"

Happy pulled a face. Great, just what he needed, a spoiled little princess in his life. At least if it'd been a boy, they'd have something in common. A girl with all her pink shit and glitter was something he'd never understand. He grunted as he got up, hugging his Uncle just because his mother had given him a glare that told him he had to. His Uncle and his mom chattered excitedly about the new baby on the way to the room while Happy trudged after them, dragging his feet.

Once inside the little hospital room, he greeted his Aunt with a kiss, all the while ignoring the little plastic crib in the corner his mother and uncle were hovering over. "Hap, _mijo_," Victor called, waving his nephew over. "Come meet your cousin."

He sighed heavily and crossed the room to approach them. Leaning over the plastic crib, he stared at the squirming baby inside. Her dark hair and dark eyes showed the strong genes running through their mother's side of the family. One of her tiny little fists swung past his nose, just barely brushing against it, her dark eyes on his face. He smirked in response; girl was a fighter. He glanced up at Victor who was beaming at him proudly. "She getcha?" his uncle asked. At his nod, Victor's grin grew wider, his hazel-green eyes glinting in the hospital lights. "Kid's a little fighter, huh? Got her dad's genes."

Happy nodded in response; he and his uncle always thought alike. "She got a name?"

"Angela Ines Ruiz. My little angel," he replied, stroking a hand over her soft hair. He carefully lifted the baby into his tattooed arms before nodding at his nephew. "Want to hold her?"

"Why?" Happy replied looking confused. He knew most people would beg to hold a newborn, but he never saw the point; he could see her just fine from where she was nestled in her father's arms.

Victor shrugged a shoulder, rocking Angela gently in his arms. "She's your little girl, too, son," he said, gesturing for Happy to sit on the couch. "You should get acquainted."

After receiving a quick glare from his mother, Happy reluctantly sat down on the couch. "All right," he said on an annoyed sigh.

"Angie, sweetheart, this is your cousin, Hap," Victor murmured to the tiny baby before carefully placing her in Happy's lap, reminding him to support the head. "This guy here is gonna take care a ya when I'm not around. 'Cause there's gonna be some times when you won't want your Old Man's help. You're gonna want your brother to help you out, aren't ya, kid? And he'll teach you cool things, protect you, and make sure nothin' bad ever happens to you. Right, Hap?"

Happy glanced down at the baby who seemed to be looking right back up at him, expecting an answer. He liked that Victor had called him her brother. Often times, he forgot that Victor wasn't really his dad. If taking care of the little girl in his arms made him her brother, he'd do it. Maybe he could teach her not to like pink or glitter, maybe he could teach her to shoot and play with cars. That wouldn't be so bad. "Yeah," he answered on a nod, he carefully touched her little fist with a finger, his heart twisting almost painfully when her tiny fingers wrapped around his like a tiny pinky promise. "I'll always take care of ya, kid."

Victor rubbed a hand over his nephew's dark hair, a proud smile on his face. He'd watched Happy grow up, had helped mold the young man into who he was. "Don't let me down, Hap. I can't always be there for her."

Happy's dark eyes lifted from the baby and locked onto Victor's green ones. He nodded once, a serious look on his face. "I won't. I promise."

* * *

Happy walked into the house, not at all surprised to see his Uncle on the floor with the big camcorder in his hand trained on Angela. At eleven months, the baby wasn't doing much, just crawling on the ground, every so often lifting herself up using the edge of the table. "Hey _Tio_," he greeted, walking into the living room. "What's goin' on?"

"She's going to do it this time, Hap! I know it! My little girl is gonna walk!" Victor announced, his gigantic camcorder trained on his daughter.

Angela's dark eyes turned to look at Happy and she smiled, showing off her tiny baby teeth. "App!" she exclaimed, letting go of the table and taking a shaky step towards him. "App!"

Victor grinned from behind the camera. "There she goes! Come closer, _mijo_! Let's see how far she gets!" (_My son)_

Happy walked a bit closer, crouching down so he was at level with her. "That's right, kid. Keep goin'," he coaxed, beckoning to her with his hands. She took a few more wobbly steps before falling right onto her butt. Her bottom lip stuck out in a pout for a second. He shook his head, taking a step closer to her and holding out his hands. "None of that. C'mon, Ang. Get up."

As if she understood, she stood again and took a few more wobbly steps before Happy swept her up into his arms. Tossing her up into the air, grinning as her giggles filled the room. He pressed a kiss to her cheek as he settled her on his hip. "App!" she said, patting his cheek with her hand. "My App."

Victor chuckled, turning off the camera. "That's my girl. She loves her big _primo_. Doesn't she? Give him _besos_, Angel." (_Cousin...kisses)_

Happy smirked, holding onto the kid tighter as she pressed a big sloppy kiss to his cheek. After having her around for eleven months, he was starting to get used to her. Like her even. She didn't cry as often as most babies, but man, could she babble up a storm. "Thanks, kid."

He watched as she tugged at the bright pink bow clipped into her dark hair. A serious expression on her face as she worked to take it off. "Ow," she stated. She wasn't whining or complaining, just stating a fact. The bow in her hair hurt, and he was willing to bet his Uncle Vic had been instructed by his aunt not to let her take it off. He, however, didn't give a shit what his aunt thought. If the bow was hurting her, it was gone.

"Yeah, ow," he repeated, carefully moving her hands away and taking out the bow. He tossed it onto the table before pecking her little chubby cheek and setting her on the floor. He heard the sound of a Harley in the distance and smirked. "That Uncle Cheeks?"

Victor nodded, rolling his eyes as he stood and headed to the front door to greet his cousin. Chico Villenueva was still sitting on his Harley looking every bit the badass biker he'd always wanted to be. His chest puffed out beneath his Sons of Anarchy cut. Victor loved his cousin to death, had even contemplated joining the club alongside him. That was until he saw the kind of stuff they were starting to get into. Selling guns illegally was not something he wanted a part of. It was dangerous for both him and his family. "Cut comes off. I don't want that shit around my kids," he ordered.

"I know, I know. Chill, Vic," Chico replied, pulling his helmet off of his slicked back hair and hooking it around the handlebar of his bike. He got off his bike and shrugged off his cut, tucking it gingerly into one of his saddlebags before pulling Vic into a tight hug. "How's it going, _primo_? How's the little one?"

"Good, good. You just missed her first steps. Walked straight to Hap," he stated proudly as they walked into the house together.

"_Eso_! That's my girl!" he exclaimed, trudging into the house. "Where's my favorite niece and nephew?"

Happy stood up off the couch, going over to hug his pseudo-Uncle. His Uncle Vic was like a father to him, sure, but he wanted to _be_ his Uncle Chico. That guy was all sorts of cool; a damn superhero on a Harley. "Hey Cheeks. How's it goin'?"

"Wonderin' when you're gonna stop by Charming to hangaround, kid," he teased, grinning at the dark look Vic sent him. Though Happy didn't know the significance of "hanging around" the TM lot, Vic did. "I'm kiddin', I'm kiddin', cuz. Relax. Good to see you, Hap. Stayin' in school and shit?"

"Doin' my best," Hap replied, though his contempt for school was obvious. As soon as he could, he was going to get his GED and bail. He'd promised his Uncle, he'd stay in school until he turned seventeen and then, if he passed that damn test, he wouldn't have to go anymore. He'd be free to do whatever the hell he wanted.

Chico looked proud as he nodded in approval. "Good. Now where's my Angel?" he asked, looking over at the little girl who was currently playing with an ugly, gigantic stuffed alligator. His present to her. He swept her and the stuffed animal off the ground into his arms. "There you are, _tesorito_!" (_Little treasure)_

Angela laughed with delight, her chubby fingers tugging at his beard. "Chee!"

"_Dame un beso, hermosa_," he said, grinning as the baby kissed his cheek. "She's smart this little one. She'll go far. Huh, _niña_?" (_Give me a kiss, beautiful...girl)_

Happy smirked as Angela just babbled back at the big biker holding her, not at all afraid of him. The little girl was used to being held in big, tattooed arms since both her father and Chico both had them. Chico set her down, running a tattooed hand over her head. "Vic, gotta question to ask ya. Need some help for the club," Chico said, studying his older cousin's face.

"Happy, you mind keeping an eye on Angela for a sec?" Victor asked, grabbing two beers from the fridge.

"Yeah. 'course," he replied, sitting down on the floor next to Angela. The baby crawled over to him, using his shoulder as leverage to stand. She patted his cheek, babbling to him in her baby talk. He nodded along, pretending to listen as he watched the television screen.

Angela crawled into his lap, trying to get his undivided attention. With a chuckled, her grabbed her under the arms and lifted her up, making airplane sounds as the little girl giggled and screamed. When he heard the backdoor open, he quickly put the kid down, straightening himself up. He didn't want to look like a pussy in front of his uncle. Angela's bottom lip started to tremble.

Chico immediately swept the little girl into his arms, taking a seat with her on the couch. "What's going on, _mijita_? Hap hurt your feelings?" he asked, tickling her. He looked down at Happy who was staring straight at the television in front of him trying not to ignore the sniffling baby. " 'ey, kid."

Happy looked up at him. "What?"

"Playing with the baby like you were don't make you less of a man. Ain't nothin' wrong with showin' love for your family. Makes you a better man. Don't stop 'cause you think your bad. You ain't shit without your family," the big man explained, chuckling as Angela tugged at his beard. "End of the day, they're all you got left."

Chico stood with a grunt, setting Angela down on Happy's lap. He rubbed a hand lovingly over Hap's head. "Love you, _mijo_. You take care of her."

Happy looked down at the baby standing on his legs. Angela grinned back at him. He nodded in response. "Yeah. Always."

* * *

**So there's the beginning of Hap and Angela's story. :) Chico Villenueva is one of SAMCRO's Original 9, and I felt adding him in would be a good way to show how Happy got involved in the club. The timeline might be a bit AU, but I think it works. ;) **

**Let me know what you guys think/what you want to read more about! I have a few more already written so if this gets a positive response, I'll add those on too. And of course, "Hands All Over" will be updated sometime this week as soon as I work out a few issues I have with it... **

**Thanks for reading! :) **

**~Love Ink**


	2. Promises

**Thank you so much for all of the reviews, favorites, and follows! I know I got back to most of you, but thank you also to: _Love for Kozik_** (_Thank you! New update for Hands All Over should be up really soon, I swear! Just fine tuning it!) _**and _Kerry_**_ (Lots more Hap/Ang interaction to come!). _

**I promise I'm working on updating "Hands All Over"! I have it almost done, just adding on the finishing touches and trying to decide how long I want to make it. (Answer: Long. 10 pages right now). ;) **

**Warning: This chapter is super sad but necessary. :(**

**Angela is 2-3 years old, Hap is 15-16. :) **

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but Angela and the others you don't recognize**

* * *

**It Won't Be Soon Before Long**

_Chapter 2: Promises_

_ By Love Ink_

Victor Ruiz knew something was wrong. Could tell by the yellow tinge his skin had taken on, the weight loss, the constant feeling of being tired even though he slept well. Something was off. Going to the doctors confirmed it. Cancer. Pancreatic cancer, to be exact. It was eating him from the inside out. His wife, Graciela, hadn't stopped crying since she found out. She could barely look at him without bursting into tears. She was a nurse, she knew pancreatic cancer was a death sentence. His daughter was two, almost three, the boy he considered a son just a week shy of his sixteenth birthday, and he was told he only had a few months more to live if he was lucky. The problem was...he'd never been lucky.

He walked into his sister-in-law's house to pick up his daughter. They'd asked Happy to babysit while they went to the doctor's appointment since he was on his summer vacation. He'd agreed, saying that he didn't have anything better to do. Happy spent a lot of time with the Angela actually, something Vic couldn't be happier with. The boy never minded when his little cousin tagged along on their adventures, and Angela was an agreeable little girl. She didn't throw tantrums or cry. She just sat quietly and watched whatever they were doing. They'd even taken her to the shooting range a few times, and he'd watched with pride as his little girl sat still in her chair, her soundblocking ear muffs on, and clapped for them as they shot off their guns. They made quite the team, the three of them.

His heart warmed as he walked into the garage to find Angela sitting astride the old Harley fixer upper he'd given Happy. Happy was working on the engine below her. "How it go?" she asked, swinging her little legs back and hair had been up in pigtails and bows when he'd dropped her off. Now it was hanging down around her shoulders. Angela always convinced Hap to take down her hair; something that drove her mother crazy.

Happy answered her the way he would answer an adult using all the correct terminology. He never sugarcoated things for Angela. He spoke to her like she was another adult something that drove his mother and aunt crazy. Especially since the two year old was picking up quite the colorful vocabulary.

"Hey kids," Victor greeted, leaning against the doorway.

"Papi!" Angela exclaimed, a wide grin on her face. "Hap make it go!"

Victor carefully picked Angela up off the bike, grunting with the effort. She wasn't heavy, but he was weaker these days. "Yeah, he will," he said, cuddling her close for a moment and kissing her cheek. "You have fun with your _primo_?"

"Pee-mo. Pee-mo," she sang, nodded her head excitedly. "Hap 'n' me do art!"

"Did you?" he asked, excitement in his voice. "I can't wait to see it! Why don't you go get them ready, and I'll be right there, _mi Angel_."

"Otay," she said, waiting until her father set her down before sprinting down the hall, singing "Satisfaction" by the Rolling Stones in her broken English.

Vic chuckled at her small voice as he took a seat on the stool by Happy's work bench. "You almost done there, _mijo_?"

Happy shrugged a shoulder. "Think so. So? You sick?"

"Yeah," he said, his voice rough. He waited until Happy's eyes met his before elaborating, "Cancer."

The fifteen year old ran a hand over his face. "Shit," he muttered, looking at the motorcycle in front of him. "Bad?"

Vic nodded slowly. "Gave me a few months. Maybe a year. Just got to ride it through."

"You ain't gonna fight it?"

"Chemo's expensive, _mijo_. We don't got that kinda cash. Won't do any good anyway. Got it in my pancreas."

Happy swallowed hard, clenching his jaw tightly as he felt tears prick the corners of his eyes. He couldn't believe it. Couldn't believe his uncle wasn't going to fight against it. He stood up, gripping the wrench tightly in his hand. "That's bullshit, Vic. You gotta fight it."

Victor crossed the room to his nephew, setting his hands on his shoulders. "I'm going to fight it by staying strong and healthy as I can, _pero_ the rest…I can't do anything about. Its in God's hands now," he said, squeezing Happy's shoulders. He could see the tears gathering in his eyes and the struggle the young man was going through to keep from crying. Without another thought, he pulled him into a hug, slapping him on the back. "It's going to be okay, _mijo_. We're going to be okay."

Happy clung to his uncle, feeling as though the world was crumbling underneath his feet. He was going to lose one of the few things he loved, and he wasn't even going to try to fight it. He felt useless and pissed off. Once Victor left, his fingers curled around the wrench. Lifting it in the air, he threw it against the garage door. It wasn't enough. With a roar, he slammed his fist into the wall, breaking through it, over and over again until he couldn't feel his arms anymore.

* * *

"Ow?" Angela asked, her little fingers picking at the gauze wrapped around Happy's hand. She looked up at her big cousin with wide eyes from where she sat next to him on the couch.

Happy flexed his fingers and nodded. It'd been a few days since he'd torn apart his mother's garage in his anger. He hadn't seen Angela or his uncle since. He'd been too ashamed to face his uncle after pulling a stunt like that. Vic had called him, though, asked him to come over. They had a long talk about it before his Uncle had to go on an errand, leaving him to watch after Angela. " 'm okay, kid. Split my knuckles on the wall," he explained. She nodded, a serious look on her face before she climbed down from the couch and darted off down the hall. "Ang? What're you doing?" he called after her.

She came back with a brightly colored tin in her hand. Shaking out a band-aid, she carefully opened it up and grabbed his hand, adorning the athletic tape with a Batman band-aid. "Fixed it! Other one," she demanded before doing the same to his other hand. She looked up at him with her big dark eyes, a hopeful look in them. "All better, Hap?"

He nodded, giving her the best smile he could muster. "Thanks, kid," he said, lifting an arm and waiting for her to settle in beside him. "You know what's going on with your dad?"

"Papi sick," she said, that serious look still on her face. "Happy sick?"

"No, kid. I'm fine."

"Okay," she said as if that made everything better. "We watch Star Wars now?"

Happy nodded, grabbing the remote and hitting play on the VCR remote. Graciela would've had a conniption if she saw them watching _Star Wars_ again. She thought it was inappropriate for the two year old, but Angela loved it. He ran a hand over her hair, playing with her soft curls. He knew she preferred it down and usually was the one that helped get it that way. Her mom was always pulling it up in bows and ponytails. Angela rarely cried, but as soon as Graciela came at her with a brush, she'd burst into tears. He knew the way Graciela pulled and tugged at her hair had to hurt. If it was up to him, Angela would never be in pain. She'd always be happy.

He felt the strength of that love as she snuggled in closer to him, hiding her face into his side at a "scary" part. He'd never thought in a million years that he would like the kid so much. But he did. He loved her. He would kill for that kid, die for her. "Hey kid?"

"Wha'?"

" 'm here for ya, y'know that, right?"

Confusion twisted her features, making her wrinkle her nose as she tried to work out what he meant. After a moment, she simply nodded. "Okay, Hap. Love you."

He dropped a kiss to the top of her head. "Love you too."

* * *

"Ha-_PY_. Ha-_PY!_"

Happy swore if his little cousin said his name one more time, he'd throw her out that tiny hospital window. The now three year old girl was toddling around the hospital waiting room, dragging her ugly stuffed alligator by its tail and singing his name while they waited for the doctors to finish checking up on her dad. It'd only taken him a few weeks before he'd become too weak to do anything but lay in a hospital bed. The cancer he had was metastasizing fast and there was nothing anyone could do about it. It'd finally gotten to him just a few days after Angela's birthday. He'd collapsed in the kitchen and had been in a hospital bed ever since. "What do you need, kid?" he asked for the hundredth time.

"Ha-_PY!_" she exclaimed, giggling to herself. It seemed she just liked saying his name. She grabbed the sketchbook he'd gotten her for her birthday out of her backpack along with her Ninja Turtle themed pencil case filled with colored pencils. "Do art!"

He chuckled, swooping the little girl up into his lap. He grabbed the sketchbook and settled it on her lap in front of them before grabbing a black pencil. "What should I draw?"

"Monster!" she growled, making her tiny hands into claws. "Raaawwwwrrr! You draw, I color."

Happy chuckled, that was his girl. Angela was more into reptiles and scaly things than unicorns and kittens. She'd been on a monster kick for awhile now. He'd actually caught her looking for monsters under her bed, not because she was scared but because she wanted to know what they looked like. "All right, kid. Let's make a monster."

After they were done with their drawing, Happy led Angela to her father's room. Fighting a smile when the little girl took off and ran straight to her father's bedside. If she was aware of how sick her dad was, she didn't show it as she scrambled up onto his bed. "Look art!" Angela said, showing Happy's picture to her father. "Monster! Rawwwwr!"

Victor Ruiz was feeling weaker by the day, though his visits with his daughter and nephew made him feel just a bit better. His little angel was growing up into quite the chatterbox, and he enjoyed every minute of it. "Very scary. Did Hap draw that for you?"

"Uh-huh. Happy drawled it. I color. It pretty," she replied, a very proud look on her face.

He looked over at Hap who was sitting on the chair that was closest to the bed. "Good work, son."

"Thanks," he said softly. He hated seeing the shrunken shell that was his uncle. Gone was the sturdy man that could fix anything he was handed. Now it looked like those tattooed arms of his could barely lift a wrench. "How you feelin' today?"

"Been better," he said, smiling as Angela snuggled in against him, her big dark eyes on the TV screen. He ran a hand over her soft brown hair as he spoke. "Always happy to see you two though. How's school?"

"Been better," Happy repeated with a smirk. "Few more months and I'll take my test."

"And pass," Vic said confidently. "And then what?"

He shrugged a shoulder. He hadn't thought that far ahead. He just wanted out of that damn high school. "Jimmy said he could use someone to help at the tattoo shop. Figured I'd start there. See if I can learn somethin'."

"You'd be good at that, _mijo_," he said on a nod of approval. He glanced down to see that his daughter had fallen asleep, her head resting on his chest just over his heart. She'd fallen asleep in the same position since he brought her home from the hospital. Her mother said it was his heartbeat that lulled her to sleep. He smiled, lately his daughter and his son were the only reasons he tried to keep that heart beating. "I'm going to ask something of you, Hap. You might be too young for it, but I think you can handle it."

Happy shifted uncomfortably in his seat. "What?"

Victor sighed heavily, his hands playing with Angela's hair. "I don't think I'm going to be around for much longer, _mijo_," he admitted softly. "Not nearly as long as I'd like to be for her…for you."

He shook his head in response; he did _not_ like where this was heading. "Vic…"

He ignored the young man's interjection. "You are going to be the only man in her life when I'm gone, Hap. I need you to…to be there for her. Teach her the things I would teach her. Help her grow. Discipline her when she needs it but also have fun with her. Take her on trips. Show her the world," he continued, his voice catching at the end. "Above all, protect her. Take care of her when she's hurt, help her when she has a problem, and make sure she's happy. Can you do that for me?"

Happy nodded, a serious look on his face. "Yeah."

"Good," Vic said on a sigh. "And when some new asshole tries to win her heart, make sure he's worthy. Make sure he makes her laugh but has the balls to stand up to you when it counts. Takes a true man to stand up to a girl's family. Make sure her future guy has them."

He smirked. There was no way in hell he was ever going to let anyone else touch his little cousin. " 'course I will," he replied. "Ain't no one gonna touch her."

"Thank you, Hap," he said on a sigh. "I love you both, you know that, right? If I could, I'd stay with you forever."

Hap swallowed at the lump in his throat as he nodded. "I know. Love you too, Vic."

* * *

It was just days later that Happy walked into that very same room to see a nurse pull a white sheet over his Uncle's head. Graciela was sobbing at his bedside with his mother hovering behind her. Silent tears fell down his mother's cheeks. Angela was nowhere to be found, and he was glad for that; this was something she didn't need to see. He nodded to his mother. "Where's the kid?"

Elena wiped at her eyes and swallowed hard. "Day care_. _Graci dropped her off this morning when Vic took a turn for the worst. She didn't want the little one around to see this."

"Good. Anyone tell her?"

"No. I was going to pick her up _pero_ Graci isn't in good shape. I don't want to leave her alone," she replied looking back over her shoulder at her sobbing sister. "And I don't want _Angelita_ anywhere near her like this. She won't understand. She's only three_, mijo_."

Happy frowned, shaking his head in disagreement. "She ain't dumb. She'll get it," he told her confidently. "Take care of _Tia_. I got the kid."

Elena sighed, her eyes already filling with tears. She'd been dreading breaking the news to her niece since she knew full well Graciela would never be able to do so. It was hard enough to lose Victor, but to break the news to the little girl would've broken her heart. "Thank you, _mijo_."

Happy nodded, leaning over to kiss his mother's cheek. Shoving his hands into his pockets, he headed down to the day care. The girl working there was just a few years older than he was. He knew this because he'd lied and told her he was eighteen so he could fuck her in the storage closet. She blushed when she saw him, tucking a blonde hair behind her ear. "Oh hey, Happy," she greeted nervously. "How...how are you doin'? You never...you never called."

He fought the urge to roll his eyes. Of course, he hadn't called. She'd met him once and had let him have sex with her in a closet of all places. She'd been a release of all the pent up anger he had surrounding his Uncle's sickness. That was it. He didn't want anything more to do with her. "Lost the number," he replied on a shrug. He didn't ask for her to give it to him again, he hadn't asked for it in the first place.

Hurt filled her bright blue eyes as she looked down at the attendance sheet. "Oh," she said softly. "Well...um...how can I help you?"

"My cousin. Angela Ruiz," he stated simply.

"Oh she's your..." she trailed off at Happy's dark look. It was obvious the guy didn't want to talk. "I'll go get her."

"I got her," he said, brushing passed her and heading over to the table with the dolls where Angela was sitting. He smirked when he saw the pile of crayons next to her. The little doll in her lap's plastic body was covered in crayon swirls, but her face was perfectly made up with pink crayon lipstick and blue crayon eyeshadow. Angela didn't play "family" with dolls, she played beauty salon and tattoo parlor. It was just another reason why Happy loved her. He crouched down next to her, watching the intense look on her face as she drew a new design on the doll's arm. "Hey kid."

Angela looked up at him with a bright smile. "Look Hap! I'm tattooin'!" she exclaimed proudly. "Like Uncle Cheeks!"

He didn't tattoo. Not yet. But he had taken her to a tattoo parlor to watch Chico get another tattoo. He'd sat there with Angela at his side watching in awe as the tattoo artist filled in the intricate work dedicated to Victor. "Looks good," he said, brushing a stray piece of hair behind her ear. "Need to talk to you."

"Okay," she said, putting down the doll and giving him her full attention. "Is it about Papi?"

And his mom thought she wouldn't understand. He nodded, watching as she scooped up her crayons and brought them over to the crayon bin before setting the doll back in its place. He knew she wouldn't have bothered if he hadn't been standing there, the kid was messy as hell, but she did her best around him.

Once she was done, she looked up at him expectantly. Angela never asked to be picked up. She'd look up at him and see if he'd do it. Sometimes, he obliged, other times, he didn't. She never complained either way. He picked her up with a grunt, settling her against his hip. She was quiet as he carried her towards the exit, her little fingers fisted in the shoulder of his shirt.

"Bye Angie," the teacher said waving to her. Angela buried her face into his shoulder which only made Happy smile. He'd heard quite a mouthful about the day care teacher from his little cousin. Apparently, she made them do "dumb dances" and sing "baby songs". Angela was more of a hard rock girl even at a young age. Singing and dancing to "Ring Around the Rosie" didn't amuse her. The teacher grinned in response, taking Angela's action as one of shyness. "Aww, you love your big cousin, don't you, sweetheart? That's so sweet," she cooed in that demeaning voice most adults used for children.

Angela wasn't used to baby talk. At three, she was surrounded by people who spoke to her in a normal tone of voice. She lifted her head from Happy's shoulder giving him a look that told him she thought the lady was crazy. He chuckled, nodding to the teacher before heading out the door.

He took her into one of the waiting rooms, making sure it was empty before setting her down and sitting on the floor next to her. She sat down next to him and looked up at him, waiting for him to start talking, her head tilted to the side curiously. "You know what's going on with dad?" he started, trying to figure out the best way to tell her.

"He sick," she replied simply as she nodded. "But he get better soon. He come home."

He felt his throat tighten at the hope in her eyes. At three years old, she believed her dad was going to get better and come home with her. What he was about to tell her would change her world forever. His tongue felt thick in his mouth as he cleared his throat. "He ain't comin' home, kid," he said, his voice low and rough.

Angela blinked at him, brows furrowed in concern as she tried to process his words. "Why?"

"He…he's…y'know Obi Wan in _Star Wars_?"

She nodded. "Obi died. He in heaven," she explained before her eyes grew glassy with tears; she'd made the connection. "Papi in heaven too?"

Happy nodded slowly. "Yeah, kid. He's in heaven now."

"But…but I don't want him to be," she said, her voice whiny as tears began to fall down her cheeks. "He my daddy. I don't want him to go away like Obi."

"C'mere, kid," he said, pulling her into his arms. She buried her face into his neck, her tears hot against his skin. He rubbed a hand over her back, trying his best to soothe her. "I'm sorry. I know it hurts."

She pulled away briefly, a worried look in her eyes as she looked up at him. "You go too?"

"Nah, kid. I'm stayin' here with you," he answered, wiping at her cheeks. She reached out a hand to wipe at his own tears that he hadn't even noticed he'd shed. "Ain't ever gonna lose me."

"P-promise?" she asked, hiccupping slightly.

He knew he shouldn't. That it was a promise he couldn't keep, but he nodded anyway. "Yeah," he said, pulling her in closer to him and running a hand over her hair. He felt the weight of his responsibility settle on his shoulders as he held her tightly. Victor had told him to watch out for her, and he would. She was his responsibility now, his girl, and he would never let anything happen to her. No matter what. "I'll always be here."

* * *

**Sorry for the sad chapter. :( It had to happen though. I swear next chapter will be happier! :)**

Disclaimer 2: I do not own Star Wars or the Rolling Stones...two of my favorite things. ;)

**Thanks for reading! Let me know what you think in a review! **

**~Love Ink**


	3. Cheeks and School

**Thank you so much to everyone who has taken the time to read, review, favorite, and follow! I PM'ed most of you but thank you to: _guest_ and _Chelsea _for both of your awesome reviews! :D**

**I think I stated the ages pretty clearly throughout the chapter. If there's any confusion, Hap and Angela are 13 years apart in age. (So if Ang is 4, Hap is 17.) Just thought I'd clear that up. :)**

**There's no real plot line at all to this story, and there probably won't be. They are just random moments that I think of and have been keeping for the longest time so I decided to share some with you all!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but Angela and anyone else you don't recognize. ;) I especially do NOT own Star Wars...which Ang mentions. A lot. She's a nerdy child. ;)**

* * *

**It Won't Be Soon Before Long**

_Chapter 3: Cheeks and School_

_ By Love Ink_

The buzz of the tattoo needle was soothing to Hap as he swept around the shop. He'd been apprenticing there for almost a year now. Ever since he got his GED. He looked up as his four year old cousin giggled. He was "babysitting" her for the day since her mother had gone into zombie mode after Vic's passing and his mother worked. When he'd first asked his mentor, Jimmy, if it was okay to bring his little cousin into the shop a few months before, the man had been hesitant at first, so he said he'd give her a trial run. Angela had passed with flying colors.

Jimmy now had her sitting next to him as he finished a customer's tattoo. The girl had wanted a dolphin tattoo on her ankle. "You like that sweetheart?" Jimmy asked looking over at Angela.

"Uh-huh," she answered on a nod. "Its pretty, Jimbo."

The brunette smiled warmly at the little girl. "She is so cute! Is she yours?"

"This little monster?" Jimmy asked rubbing his tattooed hand over Angela's head. "Nah, she's just my assistant. Huh, Angie?"

"Yup!" she said nodding exaggeratedly. "Uncle Jimbo lets me help!"

The brunette's smile widened. "Aww that's so sweet of you!"

Jimmy gave Hap a discreet nod, a signal for him to get Angela out of there so he could make a move on the customer. Happy smirked, Jimmy had serious skills with the ladies. "Hey kid!" he called, catching her attention. "Want to get the scooper?"

"Yeah!" she said excitedly heading to the broom closet and bringing out the broom pail. She set it expertly in front of the dirt pile and waited for Happy to brush it in. When she was done, she headed to the trash and dumped it. She looked up as the bell over the front door jingled, her eyes widening as an excited squeal left her lips. "Uncle Cheeks!"

Chico strode in, sweeping the little girl off her feet and into his arms. "There's my girl!" he said pressing a kiss to her cheek. "Hola _hermosa_! _Como estas?_" (_Hi beautiful! How are you?)_

"Great, Uncle Cheeks!" she exclaimed, pressing a kiss to his scruffy cheek.

"_Dime en espanol, linda_," he goaded, waiting to hear. (_Tell me in Spanish, pretty). _

Angela paused for a second before nodding, "_Bien, Tio_! Right?" (_Good, Uncle.)_

"_Eso_!" Chico said proudly. "Hey Hap! How's it going, kid?" (_That's it.)_

Happy pulled a face at being called 'kid'. At seventeen, he didn't feel like a kid. "Good, Cheeks. Workin'," he said gesturing to the shop. He noticed Chico didn't have his cut on. The MC member kept his promise to Angela's father and didn't wear it around the little girl. "What're you doin' here?"

"Business," he said, nodding to the music store across the street. Happy knew it was run by the Sons' rival MC, the Mayans. Chico was the designated liaison between the two clubs since he was the only one who spoke Spanish. "Thought I'd stop by and say hi to my favorite kids. How 'bout some ice cream, _mi amor_?"

"Yes!" Angela exclaimed, clapping her hands excitedly. "With sprinkles?"

"_Por supuesto!_" he boomed, nodding to Happy before carrying her out the door. Once outside, he set her on her feet and held her hand as they walked to the ice cream shop. After ordering their cones, chocolate covered in sprinkles, they walked back to the tattoo shop. Chico lifted the little girl onto his bike and leaned against it next to her. "You come here with Hap a lot, _Tesoro_?" _(Of course!...treasure)_

"All the time," Angela replied kicking her legs as she licked the cone. Chocolate covered her face and shirt, but she paid it no mind. "_Tia_ works and Mama is…Mama's sad."

"Because of your Papi?"

"Uh-huh."

Chico nodded. He already knew Graciela was taking full advantage of the leave the hospital had given her. Apparently the woman locked herself in her bedroom and wouldn't talk to anyone. Elena and Hap had moved in with them just to provide Angela with some care and stability. The girl didn't seem to be affected all that much. "Are you sad?"

"I talk to Papi all the time," she replied on a shrug. "Hap takes me to the ceme…ceme…"

"The cemetery," Chico filled in.

Angela nodded seriously. "That's where Papi is. I go and I talk to him. He a good listener. I feel him with the force like Luke and Obi."

He smirked at the reference. It was a good way for her to deal with this crap. He wondered who'd taught her that. "You lifting planes yet, kid?"

She giggled, shaking her head at her Uncle. "No! But Hap says I can have a lightsaber from Santa!"

"Is that what Hap said? You lucky girl!"

"Uh-huh," she said nodding and pushing back her hair from her face with one chocolate covered hand. "Cheeks, you come live with us too?"

Chico grimaced, she'd definitely need a bath later. "No, _mi amor_. My home is in Charming. You know that."

She frowned a little, biting off her cone and eating it pensively. "Is Prince Charming from there?"

He chuckled in response, thinking of the little blonde headed Tellers that ran around the garage bays of TM. "There are two princes there, actually."

Angela's dark eyes widened in surprise. "_Really,_ Cheeks?"

Chico nodded, reaching over to wipe her face with a napkin. "Really, kid. You'll have to come meet them sometime."

"Is there a Queen?" she asked, finishing the last of her ice cream.

"Oh yes. She's the fiercest woman of them all, _mija_. She'd make your Ma and Aunt shake in their boots," he replied, thinking of Gemma in all her glory.

She laughed at that, her head tilting back as she did so. "You're silly, Uncle Cheeks."

He stuck his tongue out at her before leaning over to kiss her cheek. "C'mon, partner. Let's go see your cousin," he said, picking her up off the bike and settling her on his hip. "One day I'ma take you to Charming to play with the princes. Would you like that?"

Angela shrugged indifferently; she didn't play with other children much since she hadn't started school yet. She was used to playing by herself and being around adults. The idea of meeting kids close to her own age didn't seem that thrilling. "Maybe."

"You're somethin' else, kiddo. Y'know that?"

She smiled at him, giggling when he kissed her little nose. "Are you getting a new tat, Uncle Cheeks?" she asked, tugging on his beard lovingly.

"Maybe. We'll see what your _primo_ can scratch up for me. Maybe I'll give him his first client," he mused, nuzzling her cheek. "Something small…that we can cover up later."

* * *

**...**

* * *

Stepping into the room, he took a seat on the purple bed by her hip, gently reaching a hand to brush a stray hair from her face. " 'ey kid," he said, gently shaking her awake. "Wake up."

Her brow furrowed briefly before her eyes opened, blinking in the early morning light. She rubbed at them as she sat up. It took her a minute to recognize him, but when she did, she threw her arms around his neck. "Happy!" she exclaimed, hugging him tightly, her alligator falling to the floor, forgotten.

"Happy birthday, kid," he said, hugging her back and kissing her temple before letting go. "Breakfast time."

Her arms remained wrapped tightly around his neck. Chuckling, he stood, using his arms to hold her up against him. He carried her into the kitchen and set her down on the chair in front of her breakfast made by his mom. Her legs kicked out from under her as she ate, her hair sticking up all over the place.

"Where's Graci?" Happy asked his mother, his hand rubbing over Angela's hair in an attempt to tame it a little better.

"Working," Elena answered on a sigh. Her sister's leave ended the week before. Graciela had thrown herself into her work, using it to keep her mind off of her deceased husband. Though it was a good distraction from that, it also kept her away from her young daughter. Angela didn't seem to care much, though, as long as Happy was around to take her out. At eighteen, her son had moved out and only came around to pick up Angela. He tried to come everyday, but as a fulltime apprentice, he didn't have much time to do so. He at least came once a week, though, just to check in.

Happy shook his head in disapproval. He understood his Aunt's need to work, but her kid only turned five once. "It's her birthday."

"Mama woke me up afore she left, Hap," Angela explained around a mouthful of Pop tart. Elena had cooked an elaborate breakfast with bacon and eggs, but little Angie was much happier with her S'mores pop tart. "She gave me ten dollars 'n' said we was goin' somewhere special."

"Yeah, kid. We are."

Angela finished off her poptart, licking at her sticky fingers. "We goin' on your bike?"

"Can you hold on tight?"

She considered it, holding out her tiny little hands and flexing her tiny fingers. "Yes!"

He chuckled, knowing better than to believe her. She'd been telling him she could since she could talk. "Bikes in the shop, kid. I got Ma's car. Go get changed."

"Aww man!" She frowned but nodded, hopping down off the chair and heading back towards her room. She came back out wearing a black Harley Davidson t-shirt and jeans with mismatched socks and little light up shoes in her hands. Sitting down on the floor, she quickly velcroed them on and jumped back up. "I'm ready!"

Elena brandished a brush at her. "_Veni, niña_. Let me brush those tangles."

"_Tia_, _no_!" she whined, backing up slowly until her back hit Happy's knees. Her hands fisted into the fabric of his jeans as she looked up at him hopefully.

Happy swept her off her feet, rubbing a hand over her hair before nodding. "She's fine."

"Happy," Elena clucked at him, shaking her head. "I'm not letting her leave like that!"

He sighed and stretched out his hand for the brush. With a curious look, Elena handed it over to him. "Kid, brush your damn hair so we can leave already," he said, handing the brush to Angela.

She took the brush and ran it through her hair a few times before handing it back to her Aunt. "There," Angela said with an exasperated sigh. "Can we go now?"

"You keep letting her get away with that attitude, and it'll come back to bite you, _mijo_," Elena warned her son, brandishing the brush at him.

Happy rolled his eyes at his mom, not about to discipline the kid on her birthday. "Yeah, yeah," he said, heading to the door with Angela on his hip. He caught her sticking her tongue out at his mother over his shoulder. "Best stick that tongue in, or I'ma cut it off."

Angela did as she was told, grinning sheepishly at him. "Oops," she said, though she didn't sound at all apologetic. "Lets go! Birthday time!"

* * *

Happy held Angela in his arms as they looked over the bridge railing towards the city of San Francisco. He pointed out different buildings in her ear while her head lay nestled into his neck. He'd taken her to the zoo and to Ocean Beach and had planned to take her home when she insisted they walk the Golden Gate. It was out of the way for them, they needed to use the other bridge to get to Oakland, but he wasn't about to deny her something on her birthday. Especially since it was free. So they set out on the 1.7 mile walk. She hadn't complained once, save for insisting he pick her up so she could see better. It wasn't until they were heading back that he noticed her lagging behind, yawning every so often.

He swooped her up into his strong arms, lifting her so she sat on his shoulders, her fingers playing with his longer hair. After awhile, she tugged on his hair to catch his attention. He looked up at her. "What's up, kid?"

"Wha's that?" she asked, pointing to the island in the middle of the bay.

"Alcatraz," he stated, careful to keep far away from the barrier lest she lean too far over and topple over the edge..

"Wha's that?"

"An old prison."

"Oh. For bad guys?" she asked, setting her chin on top of his head.

Happy nodded slowly. "Something like that," he replied, his hands on her ankles. "Sometimes good people do bad things though, kid. They get sent away for tryin' to help their family. Don't make them a bad person. That make sense?"

"Mmm," she hummed, obviously mulling it over. "Like Lando?"

Of course. Lando Calrissian. A Star Wars reference. Kid was obsessed. It did fit…sort of, and he didn't feel like explaining it anymore. "Sure, kid," he answered, before starting to walk. They were almost at the end of the bridge when he felt her fingers tug at his hair again. "What?"

She waited for him to stop walking and tilt his head back to look at her before saying, "Please don't go to prison, Hap."

Happy gave her a quizzical look. Where the hell had that come from? He sucked in a deep breath. "I'm going to take care of our family, kid. Whatever that takes. I'ma try my best to stay outta the pen for ya though. I can promise you that."

Angela nodded solemnly, her dark eyes leaving his face and going back to the island prison. He took her silence as an indication to keep moving. After a minute, he felt her nuzzle her face into his hair, dropping a kiss to his head. "Love you, Hap."

"You too." He squeezed her ankle lovingly. "Happy birthday, kid."

* * *

**...**

* * *

Happy watched as his cousin ran around the house, a blur of purple streaking by him with his mother at her heels. It was her first day of kindergarten, and she did _not _want to go. She was supposed to be wearing the green and navy jumper that was part of her Catholic school uniform, but she wasn't. Instead, she was running around in her underwear and the little blouse that went underneath said jumper.

He fought the urge to laugh as he caught her easily, lifting her off the ground and trying to keep a hold of her as he carried her back to her room. Angela squirmed and kicked against him, trying her best to get out of his hold. He kicked the door closed behind him and set her on her feet on the bed. "What's going on, kid?"

"I don't wanna go to school," she said, crossing her arms over her chest. "I don't want to wear that dumb dress, I don't want to wear those dumb shoes, and I _don't_ want to go to school."

"You don't want to make new friends?"

She shook her head exaggeratedly. "I have you and Uncle Jimbo, and Uncle Cheeks. I don't need new friends. They're all babies."

Happy swallowed back a laugh. The closest thing she had to friends were three tattooed men, one of which was in an outlaw motorcycle club. Yeah, he could see why his mom was desperate to put her in school. "I'll make a deal with you. I'll take ya to school on my bike," he offered, smirking as her eyes grew wide. "But you gotta promise me you'll let Ma do your hair and shit. You can't keep runnin' around on her like this. You gotta be strong, stick it out. Do your time 'n' get good grades. 's what I did."

Angela nodded, a seriously look on her face. "I'm strong."

"Yeah, ya are," he said, picking her up and putting her on her feet. "Go 'head, get ready."

He followed her out and watched with pride as she patted his mother's knee and said, "_Tia_, I'm sorry. I'm ready to get dressed now."

Elena's expression was shocked for a second before she looked up and met her son's dark gaze. She gave him a proud smile, wondering what it was he said to the little one that would make her change her mind and even tack on an apology to boot. "All right, _mi amor_. Let's get you ready."

* * *

Happy walked Angela to the door of the kindergarten classroom, holding her hand tightly as he stopped by the front door. It would be the first day in weeks that she didn't go to the tattoo shop with him. For a second, he wanted to scoop her up and bail. Get out of that hell hole and back to the shop, so he could watch every move she made, make sure she was all right. Together they walked into the classroom and found her cubby. He watched what all the other parents were doing and helped her take off her backpack and put it inside.

If the parents thought seeing an eighteen year old walk in with a five year old was weird, they didn't show it. Most were too preoccupied with their own kids to pay them any mind. It helped that Happy looked a hell of a lot older than eighteen. It was the tattoos the littered his arms that made them guess he was at least three or four years older than he really was.

Sensing Angela's nerves, he crouched down in front of her, watching as she eyed the other kids warily. "You all right?" he asked.

She hesitated a second before taking in a deep breath. "I'm strong," she said rolling onto her toes as she nodded. "You'll pick me up?"

"Be waiting right outside for ya, kid."

Angela nodded slowly. She looked over at the other children again before looking at Happy. "What if they don't like me?"

"Then fuck 'em," he said on a shrug, this earned him a glare from one of the eavesdropping mothers. "Be you. Someone's bound to like ya. If not, I'll be here to pick ya up and we'll…go on a ride or somethin'. Get some ice cream."

"Okay," she said, wrapping her arms around his neck and hugging him tightly.

He hugged her back, running a hand over her soft hair. "Love you, kid. Stay strong, all right?"

"Love you too, Hap," she said, kissing his cheek.

Happy watched her take another deep breath before going to the table with her name on it and taking a seat. There were crayons and a coloring page on the table. She tentatively picked one up, looking around at the other children before she started to color. It didn't take long for a little boy to sit down and start talking to her. He clenched his jaw, fighting the urge to go over there and kick the boy's ass for talking to his little girl. She was only five, but she was cute as hell. He wasn't surprised that she'd caught the kid's interest. It didn't make him want to kill him any less though.

Angela caught his eye and waved at him before looking at the door, a sign that she wanted him to leave. Shit, that hurt. It was the first time she'd ever told him to go away. The first time she didn't want to be with him. Swallowing hard, he gave her one last glance before heading out the door to his bike. After finding a payphone, he called his boss and told him he couldn't come in that day. He parked his bike at the corner of the school and sat there watching, counting down the hours until he had to pick her up.

He heard the school bell ring and stood up straighter from where he was leaning on his bike watching as the kids filed out. Then he heard it. "Happy! Happy!" her voice was filled with laughter as she sprinted towards him.

Happy smiled despite himself, crouching down to catch her as she threw herself at him. "Hey kid!" he greeted, hugging her tightly. "How was school?"

"Oh it was great, Hap! I made a lot of new friends, and they're teaching us to read, even though I already know how, and it's so cool, Hap!" Angela replied all on one breath as he carried her to his bike. He heard a chorus of "whoa's" from behind him and turned to see a few of her boy classmates staring at his Harley in awe. She waved at them with a wide grin. "Bye guys! See you tomorrow!"

Happy helped her slip her longer riding pants on under her jumper before setting her on the back of his bike and handing her her helmet. "Those boys in your class?"

"Uh-huh. They're nice. They like Star Wars too," she explained. "Ice cream now?"

"Fenton's sound good?" he asked, swinging a leg over his bike.

"YES!" she exclaimed, before tugging on his shirt. He looked back at her, eyebrow raised. "Missed you, Hap."

Happy smiled, squeezing her knee affectionately. He was glad to hear he was missed. He'd never admit it, but he'd been worried that new friends would mean less time for them to spend together. And he loved spending time with the kid; she was a total chick magnet. "Missed you too, kid."

* * *

**Hope y'all liked it! :D ****Let me know what you think in a review! I love hearing from you!**

**Also, I'm going to _try_ and keep this story in chronological order. ("Try" being the operative word.) So if there's anything you'd be interested in reading about from when Ang is around 5-8, let me know! ;) I'll be happy to try and work it in! **

**Thanks for reading! **

**~Love Ink**


	4. Tattoo

**Posting another chapter so quickly because this random idea hit me, and I had to share it. :) This chapter is a little different in that it jumps around quite a bit, timeline wise and is more "one-shot" styled. ;) It'll make sense, I swear. **

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but Angela**

* * *

**It Won't Be Soon Before Long**

_Chapter 4: Tattoos_

_ By Love Ink_

Happy had his eyes closed, his head still throbbing from where his mother had slapped him. He'd just gotten a tattoo the week before on his newly shaved dome; a snake coiled a top of his head that matched the one on his chest. Try as he did to hide it, his mother insisted he take off his hat while inside and then threw a total fit when she saw it, smacking him as hard as she could upside the head and that woman was strong.

He felt the couch shift before a feather light touch was tracing over the body of the snake on his scalp. "Sssssssssss," a small voice hissed beside him. Happy opened his eyes to find his six year old cousin standing on the cushion next to his thigh, her pretty dark eyes focused on the ink. "Hap, you have a snake on your head!" Angela exclaimed excitedly as if he didn't know, and she'd just discovered it.

"You like it, kid?" he asked, closing his eyes again and relaxing as her little fingers continued to trace the design. It was a soothing feeling compared to the smack his mother had given him.

"It's cool!" she said, decidedly. "Ssssss. Hey Hap, do I have a snake on my head too?"

Happy smirked, opening an eye to see her scratching at her scalp, trying to see if she could feel one too. Her hair was down and wavy, a sure sign she'd already taken out the braid Elena had done earlier that morning. Braids were the only style of hair Angela would leave in for a whole school day. She took it out as soon as she got home.

In one fluid movement, he stood, grabbing her legs and draping her over his shoulder. "Don't know. Gotta shave off your hair and find out," he teased, smiling as her laughter filled the air. He carefully flipped her over, swinging her by her feet so that her hair just barely brushed the hardwood floor beneath them.

That was how Graciela found them when she came in from work. Angela screaming happily while Happy hung her upside down. "Mama, mama! Happy has a snake on his head! We're gonna shave my hair off because I might have one too!"

Graciela scowled at them. She'd gotten a lot better about being around her daughter in the three years since her husband's passing, but she still was gone a lot. When she was around the young girl, she wasn't particularly nice to her either. Happy knew it was because she looked so much like her father that it hurt Graci to look at her, but he wished his aunt would get over it and be a mother once and for all. "What a ridiculous thing to say! Happy has a tattoo, _mija_! No one's going to touch your hair! Now put her down before you make her sick," she ordered, breezing her way towards her bedroom, no doubt to take a nap after her long shift at the hospital.

Happy rolled his eyes at her before setting Angela down carefully on the couch. "Fun sucker," he muttered, sitting down next to her.

The little girl popped right back up on her feet, still entranced by the ink on his skull. "I like it, Hap. I wanna tattoo on my head too!"

There wasn't a chance in hell that he'd ever let his baby cousin have a tattoo on her head. "Nah. You don't wanna shave off your hair. Your head's lumpy."

Angela pouted a bit, her fingers working through her hair as if testing the theory. "Is not," she said, sticking her tongue out at him. "I like my hair long anyways and it takes a long time to grow! That's what _Tia_ said when I tried to cut it that one time, remember?"

He nodded. His mother had found her about to cut take the kitchen scissors to her hair and had flipped out. He had a feeling that kid would never have her hair cut short like most young children. His mom had too much fun styling it. "Yeah."

"Do you like my hair long, Hap?" she asked, cocking her head to the side so that some of it fell in his face.

The smell of her grape shampoo tickled his nose as he tugged on the long lock of hair. "Yeah, kid."

She gave him a bright smile, content with his response. Sitting down on her bottom next to him, she traced a finger over the outline of a tiger tattooed on his arm. She was always fascinated by tattoos something he hoped wouldn't be a problem when she was older. "This one has no color."

"Not yet."

"I'll do it," she offered, getting off the couch and heading for her markers. She brought back a set of washable ones and sat down. "They wash off, but this way you can see what color you like."

He knew well that they washed off. Angela made him draw designs on her arms all the time much to his mom and aunt's dismay. The ink did wash off but not very easily. He knew it wasn't the best idea ever, but she seemed so excited that he extended his arm. "Go crazy, kid."

She grinned up at him, tugging his arm into her lap and getting to work. He turned on the television and let her have at it, not paying attention to what she was doing. They had a mutual agreement that no "girly shit" was ever to grace their arms. He felt her go outside of the lines, more designs swirling and twisting up his arms, around the simple outline. After a few more minutes, she capped her marker and exclaimed, "Done!"

He looked down and was pleasantly surprised by the outcome. His tiger was a vibrant shade of orange and she'd drawn a big green snake of her own close by it. A happy face and some poorly drawn flowers resembling cherry blossoms were placed at random intervals along with a big red A with a circle around it. A symbol of anarchy to most, but it was also how Angela signed her "art". Happy had never told her not to, and their moms weren't familiar with the symbol. "Looks good, kid."

She beamed at him. "Thanks Hap!" she said before dumping the markers in his lap. "You do me now!"

Happy smiled and rolled up her little sleeve already knowing exactly what she wanted. He finished with the heart with angel wings, drew a few cherry blossom flowers, and then added in a lotus for good measure. She "oohed" and "aaahed" as he worked, loving every minute of it.

"Hap, one day will you do it for real?" she asked, her dark eyes wide and hopeful.

"You bring me a good design, that means somethin' to you, and I'll do it, kid," he replied, putting the pens back into the box in rainbow order like she liked.

Her eyes widened in excitement. "Promise?"

Happy nodded. He knew she was going to get inked. Her dad had been covered in tattoos and her mom had a few pieces too. Not to mention that she spent a hell of a lot of time in his tattoo shop. Her getting one was inevitable, but he'd be damned if he let someone else do it. No one was inking his cousin but him. "Promise."

Fifteen years later, Angela walked into his Tacoma apartment, waving a piece of paper in her hand, a skip in her step. "I got it!" she exclaimed, slamming it down on the table he'd been sketching at. "This is it. This is the tattoo."

Happy took the piece of paper and lifted it up so he could see it better. He was surprised at the image drawn there. "A koi fish."

"Yeah," she said on a nod, tucking a stray hair behind her ears. She was buzzing with a nervous energy, an excited gleam in her eyes. "I mean, not that exact one 'cause you can draw it better but…that's what I want. On my hip. In reds and yellows, I think. I mean, you can do whatever. I trust you."

He could already imagine the flow of the fish on his cousin's hip. The colors he'd choose that would pop on her skin tone. There was just one thing that was missing. "What's the fish for?"

She sucked in a deep breath as if she was waiting for his question and was prepared to answer it. "Okay so, legend has it, the koi fish gains strength swimming against the current to get to this waterfall. Most turn back 'cause it gets too hard but certain ones succeed and then get turned into dragons," she explained, waving her hands excitedly as she spoke. "When you get it tatted swimming upstream, it means you're currently in a battle and won't give up, but I've done my battle. I got my head outta my ass and ended shitty relationships, finished school, and all that shit. I want mine to be swimming downstream 'cause I overcame my obstacles and don't have to fight the current anymore. I'm as strong as I'm gonna get, Hap. And that's mainly 'cause of you. So you're kinda like the current which is cool 'cause you're tattooing it and I like that you'll be a part of it since I wouldn't be here without you."

Happy was impressed; kid had done her research. It was about damn time too. "Also used for good luck."

"And independence and bravery, and I got all that," she rattled off, rolling her eyes. He watched as her excitement deflated a bit. "Please, Hap. I really want this."

He looked over it again and glanced up at his cousin. He could see how much she wanted this piece and knew it was the right one. "Okay."

"Okay?" she repeated in shock, the smallest hint of a smile on her face. "Really?"

"Yeah," he said on a shrug. "Want it today?"

Angela nodded excitedly. "Yes! Yes! Please!"

She rode with Happy down to the tattoo shop that he rented a chair in. Looking up at the dark neon sign, she felt her stomach twist with excitement. It was finally happening. All these years of waiting for him to approve of the design finally paid off.

The shop was closed, but Happy got in with his key, flicking on the lights as he went to set up his station. She grabbed his sketchpad and pencil, handing it to him like she always did when she went to work with him. He shook his head. "Gonna free hand it on you," he said, grabbing a his special marker. "Hip, right?"

A freehanded tattoo from her favorite artist? Angela was even more excited now. "Mm-hmm," she answered, pulling up her shirt and unbuttoning the top of her jeans to expose the area better. The act also exposed neon green, lace panties. Hap tried not to think about what she was doing with those panties on, though his murderous thoughts must've been written all over her face because she laughed. "Relax, Hap. These are for my eyes only…and yours now which is..."

"Stop!" he interrupted, glaring at her. "Want this piece or not?"

"Yes! Go! Please!"

Angela watched as he sketched the koi fish onto her skin with a marker, his dark gaze focused on her hip. The feel of the pen on her skin soothed her nerves. It was a feeling she was used to, one the brought up memories of growing up when Happy would draw all over her arms. Those drawings always washed away, though. This one would stay with her forever.

He glanced up at her, smirking when she grinned back at him like this was the best thing to ever happen to her. "It's just a tat, kid," he reminded her.

"Hap, I have been waiting for this since I set foot in Uncle Jimbo's shop and saw Cheeks get his tat," she said, excitedly. "This is more than just a tat, and you know it."

He shrugged a shoulder, though he agreed with her. "Not gonna lie, it's gonna hurt. Like a bitch," he said, gesturing for her to lay down on the table.

She pulled herself onto it and lay back. "Okay," she said, nodding her head, watching as he put on a pair of black latex gloves. "Go."

"You need to stop or take a break, let me know," he said, holding his tattoo gun in his gloved hand.

Angela nodded again. "I'll be fine, Hap," she replied on a chuckle. "C'mon, it's a chance to torture me that you'll never get again. Think of all the pain in the ass things I've done and do it."

"Don't like hurtin' you, kid," he muttered, starting up the tattoo gun. "Ready?"

"Just start, Hap! Please!" she exclaimed, fidgeting nervously. "Do you do this to all your clients?"

He shook his head, sucking in a deep breath. For some reason, permanently marking his baby cousin was making him nervous. With most of his clients, he tattooed them and that was it; he never had to see them again. His club brothers always wanted the same things, Reapers and words with little to no color. This koi fish with its bright colors and style was something he hadn't done in years. If he fucked it up, he'd never forgive himself.

Taking a deep breath, he put the machine to her skin, tracing out a line. He glanced up at her in time to see her wince. "You all right?"

"Yes! Just do the damn thing, Hap," she said through gritted teeth.

Happy got back to work, focusing all of his attention on the piece. He didn't look back up at her again, knowing he'd want to stop if he saw she was in pain. It took him four hours to finish it. He wiped off the excess ink and rubbed some balm onto it. "Done," he stated, looking up at her face to see her eyes closed, trails of tears down the sides of her face.

She sat up, wincing as the movement pulled at the fresh ink. Carefully, she stood and headed to the full length mirror, entranced by the brightly colored ink on her skin. Oranges, yellows, reds, blues, and the smallest hint of pinks colored the fish and the water surrounding it making it pop. It was the most beautiful tattoo she'd ever seen. "Woah," she breathed, tears in her eyes for a whole new reason now. "Happy this is…"

"Perfect," he finished, the smallest hint of a smile on his face. She went to touch it, but he smacked her hand away. "Don't touch it yet, kid. Don't want it to get infected. Some of my best work there."

Angela nodded, staring at the piece while Happy went to clean up his station. She turned this way and that, seeing it from different angles. In that moment, she was glad Happy had made her wait. That he'd shot down countless stupid ideas until she found one she really wanted, one that meant something to her. "Hap," she said, waiting until he looked up before saying, "Thank you."

Happy could hear the weight of the words in her voice. She wasn't just thanking him for that tattoo. "Yeah," he said on a nod. "Love ya, kid. Do anythin' for ya. You know that."

She went over and kissed his scruffy head before nodding. "Yeah," she said, watching him clean up. "So when do I get to tattoo you?"

He put away his kit before standing and ruffling her hair. "Keep dreamin', kid."

* * *

**As always, let me know what you think in a review! I love hearing from you! :) **

**~Love Ink**


	5. Bullies and Bullets

**It has taken me way too long to update! I'm so sorry! Thanksgiving weekend was a bit crazy, so I didn't get a chance to write as much as I wanted to but thanks for sticking with me!**

**Thank you so much to everyone who took the time to read, review, favorite, and follow! **

**For those of you who wanted to see Angela being bullied/reacting to a bully...here it is. :) Some small details that were mentioned in my other story "Hands All Over" have been changed because I decided to add Chico Villanueva into the story...its nothing too mindblowing and I doubt anyone will notice, but just in case, I thought I'd give ya'll a heads up. I'll probably go back and change the details in "Hands All Over" just because it bugs me. ;)**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but Angela and anyone else you don't recognize**

* * *

**It Won't Be Soon Before Long**

_Chapter 5: Bullying and Bullets_

_ By Love Ink_

Happy walked into the principal's office, his eyes scanning the sparse place for a brief moment. The principal had called his mom and aunt's house looking for someone to pick up his eight year old cousin because of a "disciplinary issue". At twenty-one, he'd just started prospecting for SAMCRO with his Uncle Chico as his sponsor. He spent as much time as he could traveling between Charming and Oakland to keep his little cousin in check. Apparently, being gone for two weeks had thrown something out of whack for Angela; she'd never had a disciplinary problem before. He spotted her sitting in the corner, swinging her legs back and forth, a miserable look on her face. "Hey kid," he greeted her.

She looked up, her dark eyes lighting up with excitement. "Hi Hap!" she greeted happily.

The secretary at the desk smiled warmly at Angela before looking up at Happy. "Are you her father?"

"Cousin," he corrected, scratching at his elbow. " 'm on the list. Her Ma's at work."

The secretary pressed her lips together as she flipped through what Happy assumed was Angela's file. It was relatively thin, nothing like his had ever been. "Happy Lowman?" she asked after a minute of scanning Angela's emergency card.

"Yeah."

"Well, little Missy there has quite the mouth on her," the secretary replied in a chastising tone. Something in her friendly eyes told Happy that she didn't mean it. "There was an…argument between her and one of the older boys at school. She was using quite a colorful vocabulary to tell him off."

Happy raised an eyebrow wondering what could've possibly provoked Angela to curse at school. He knew she was familiar with just about every swear word in existence, but he'd been very clear with her that those were words she could only use around him. The fact that she used them at school was a tell that whatever the boy had done to her warranted more than just a verbal attack. "What happened?"

"She won't tell us. When we asked her why, she closed her mouth and hasn't said a word since. This is Angela's first infraction, so we're just going to send her home with a warning. Now, I know the other boy wasn't innocent in this, but she won't say a word, so we can't punish him."

He looked back at Angela. "What'd he do, kid?"

She shrugged a shoulder. "He's a punk."

Happy glanced back at the secretary who was nodding in agreement. She stopped when she noticed that both Happy and Angela had caught her in the act. "My apologies. Its school policy that I have to send her home," she said quickly.

" 's all right," Hap said on a shrug. He didn't mind getting her one bit. In fact, it'd be nice to spend some more one on one time with her. He'd been so busy prospecting that he felt he missed a lot of what was going on in her life. "C'mon kid."

She jumped down from the seat and looked at the secretary before clearing her throat. "Thank you, Mrs. Leavey."

"You're welcome, sweetheart," the secretary replied, giving her a wink.

Happy waited until they were sitting at a park, ice cream in hand before asking what had happened. Angela swallowed her mouthful of ice cream before explaining, "A boy was being mean to my best friend Rosa. He called her fat and ugly and made her cry. The teacher always says to use your words, so I used my words to get him to go away."

He gave her a proud smile. Of course Angela would get in trouble not defending herself but defending someone else. "Why didn't you tell the teacher?"

Her upper lip curled into a sneer as if the mere suggestion was disgusting. The expression was familiar; he had the same one when he was pissed. "I ain't no rat," she replied, wrinkling her nose in distaste.

Happy couldn't have loved her more than he did at that moment. "You get your point across?" he asked, scooping a spoonful out of her cup. She didn't mind sharing with him.

She shrugged a shoulder. "I dunno. Maybe."

"You think he'll do it again?"

Angela shrugged again. "Maybe," she repeated, putting the spoon back in the ice cream. "What do I do if he's mean again?"

"Hit him."

Her eyes grew wide in shock. "What? Like a slap like on _Tia's novelas_?"

Happy shook his head. "Nah, slapping's for bitches. I'll show you what you do," he said, standing up and wiping his hands on his jeans. "C'mere. Show me your fist."

She got up and walked around the table to him, clenching her fingers tightly around her thumb in a fist. "Like this?"

"Thumb out or it'll break," he said, waiting for her to correct it. He crouched down so that they were even. "This is only if he won't leave you alone, all right? You can't just go punchin' punks every time you get mad. Save it for when it matters. Got it?"

Angela's face grew serious as she nodded. "Okay, Hap."

"Pull back your arm and hit my hand," he said, holding out his open palm. She hit him lightly, obviously too afraid to hit him too hard and hurt him. Happy smirked and shook his head. "Harder, kid. You ain't gonna hurt me."

They practiced for awhile, until Happy's palms actually started to hurt. He taught her the right form, where to hit him, and how to duck out of the way of an incoming punch. She laughed and giggled the whole time like she was having the time of her life.

Later, when they got home, both of them kept quiet about what had happened earlier. It was a secret they'd both agreed to keep. If Elena and Graciela ever found out about that incident, neither of them had mentioned it to Happy, nor had they ever gotten on his case for teaching her to fight. These were things her father would've taught her anyway. Things she needed to know. He was doing what he'd promised Victor five years earlier; he was taking care of his little girl.

A month later, Angela had gotten suspended from school for three days because that same boy had started making fun and of her friend and she'd accidentally broken his arm. From what she told Hap, she wasn't going to hit him until he said something about her being an orphan because her dad was dead and that was when she punched him. The kid had fallen wrong and ended up breaking his arm. Unfortunately for her, Happy had been on a run when it happened and her mom was called. Even worse for her, her mother had been home. Graciela wasn't as understanding as Happy had been, and Angela didn't trust her like she did Hap. When her mother asked her what had happened, Angela shrugged a shoulder and said the kid deserved a lot worse than a broken arm. That answer and her subsequent lack of remorse landed her in the psychiatrist's office.

Happy had come down as soon as he heard and had decided to take her away to stay with him in his small apartment he shared with another prospect in Charming for the night. That prospect, Deuce, was gone for the weekend on yet another run. Chico being one of the First Nine, had pulled some strings to make it so Happy could stay home. Both agreed that Angela didn't go anywhere near the clubhouse out of respect for her deceased father who'd never wanted her to even know about the club.

He'd made sure to take the crates of guns that'd been stashed in the Deuce's room out and hid them in the living room closet so Angela could stay in that room. As much as he loved his little cousin, she was a curious kid and though he'd taught her better, he wouldn't put it past her to get into the crates. It wouldn't be the first time she disobeyed him. He had some Croweaters change the sheets and clean up a bit so it was sanitary for her to stay there.

After watching Star Wars, Happy put her to bed and went to sleep himself. He'd had a long couple of weeks and was thankful to finally get some rest. It wasn't long after he closed his eyes that he heard something stirring in the living room. He didn't pay it any mind, figuring it was just Angela getting water or messing around in her room.

"Hap! Hap-_PY_!" her shrill scream made him sit straight up in bed. He practically jumped out of his sheets, grabbing his Glock and sprinting down the hall. He stopped short when he finally got to the living room.

The crates with the guns in them were open on the floor, the material used to pad them all over the place. The actual guns were stowed away in the hefty bag the man had thrown over his shoulder. That wasn't what concerned him though. What scared the living shit out of him was the Aryan who had his arms around his little cousin's waist, using her as a human shield.

"Shoot me, and you'll hurt the girl," the man said, holding her tighter as he started backing towards the door. "Put the gun down and I'll let her go."

Like hell he was going to put the gun down. For all he knew the Aryan would shoot Angela and then shoot him too. The man's cheek was pressed against Angela's as she squirmed around in an effort to get free. It left Happy with a clear shot of the guy's head, but with the way he was moving, there was no telling if he could actually land the shot. Happy knew he had good aim, but he wasn't about to test it on his little cousin. He hesitated knowing that if he put the gun down, there was a good chance the man would take the guns and Angela.

"SHOOT HIM HAP!" Angela screamed, still struggling against him though she was trying to keep her head as far away from the man's as possible making Happy's shot that much easier. He hesitated as the man opened the front door. "NOW!"

And that was all the encouragement Happy needed. He leveled the gun at the man's head and pulled the trigger. The man fell to the floor, taking Angela down with him. She let out a shocked gasp as she kicked herself away from him and sprinted towards her cousin.

He had already crouched down, ready to catch her as she threw herself at him. He held her close, running a hand over her soft hair before pushing her away gently, trying to get a good look at her face to make sure he hadn't hurt her. "You okay, kid?" he asked, wiping at some of the man's blood that was splattered on her cheek.

"Hap, I heard a noise 'n' I came out 'n' he was tryin' to take the guns 'n' I told him to stop 'n' he wouldn't 'n' then I hit him with the bat 'n' then he grabbed me so I called for you," she said, her words spewing out between staggered breaths. She was on the verge of tears and doing her best to appear strong.

"Yeah, but are you okay?" Happy asked, more concerned with whether he'd hurt her in some way.

She nodded slowly, her arms snaking out to wrap around his neck. She buried her face in to his shoulder, her little body shaking against him. Gently, he scooped her up off of the floor and carried her to the bathroom where he set her on the sink. She reluctantly let go, looking up at him with glassy eyes, a few tears slipping down her cheeks.

"You're okay," he said, taking her little chin in his hand and gently wiping the blood of her cheeks with a wet towel. "Ain't no one else gonna touch you, you hear? I got you."

She nodded again, her bottom lip still trembling with the promise of a sob escaping soon. Happy sighed, that was the last thing he needed. "Hey, kid. Deep breath. In," he insisted, waiting until she inhaled. "Out. Again."

She breathed in and out multiple times until the tears stopped. He pressed a kiss to her forehead. "Good girl," he praised, tucking a hair behind her ear. "You done?"

"Uh-huh," she replied, wiping at her eyes. She hiccuped, a tear slipping down her cheek. "Hap, I th-thought he was going to t-take me a-away."

Happy swept the tears from her face with his fingers. "Ain't no one gonna take you away from me, kid. I promise you that. Not now, not ever. You're my kid, I got you. Understand?"

She nodded, a serious look on her face as she stretched out her arms to him. He picked her up again, rubbing a hand up and down her back as she nuzzled her face into his neck. "Thanks, Hap."

He let out a long sigh as he nodded. That had been too close for comfort. If something had happened to Angela, he'd never forgive himself. The fact that he'd just shot and killed a man didn't faze him. He'd kept his girl safe, that was all that mattered. "Don't. I got you, kid," he said, kissing her temple. It was rare that he showed so much affection, but he'd come too close to losing her to hold back; he was just glad she was alive. "How 'bout you color for awhile so I can take care of this?"

Angela nodded, sighing when Happy put her down at the kitchen table that was still covered in colored pencils and paper from earlier. She pulled the white paper towards her, getting up on her knees while she picked out her colors.

He watched from over her shoulder as he dialed a number he knew by heart. His sponsor answered on the first ring. "_Que paso_?" Chico asked tiredly. (_What happened?_)

"Got a problem. Gonna need a lil' help," he replied on a sigh.

"Aight. I'm up, I'm up. Be over in a minute."

It was a rare feat to surprise Chico Villanueva, but he was shocked beyond belief when he opened the door of Happy's apartment to find his brother at the table with little Angela drawing as if there wasn't a dead man bleeding onto the cream colored carpet of the living room floor. "Jesus Christ, Hap. What happened?" he asked, closing the door behind him.

"Asshole tried to take our guns," Happy explained, watching as Angela drew yet another smiley face. The paper was covered in them, all different colors and sizes. This one she colored in blue. "Almost took the kid too."

Chico set one of his large hands on Angela's head. _"Hola tesoro,"_ he greeted, leaning in to kiss her cheek. (_Hi treasure)_

"_Hola_ Uncle Cheeks," she said, too absorbed in her work to pay much attention to him.

"Smiley faces, huh?"

"The shrink man says draw how you want to feel," she explained, a very serious look on her face. "I want to be happy. _F-feliz_, right?"

"That's right, _mija_." Chico raised his eyebrows at that, glancing at Happy as he mouthed the word 'shrink' in silent question.

Happy smirked in response. "Tell Chico why they sent you to the quack," he told her. At her reluctant look, he rolled his eyes. "It ain't rattin' if it's to me or Cheeks, kid."

"This boy was being mean so I broke his arm," she stated without taking her eyes off the paper. "He deserved it."

"She pushed him, and he fell wrong," Happy elaborated. He knew Angela was only proud she'd broken the kid's arm because she'd heard a story that he'd done it once before. "Got her suspended and Graci sent her to the shrink."

Chico shook his head as he hid a laugh. "The shrink man, huh?"

"He was stupid," Angela commented on a shrug. "But I was quiet and I didn't say anythin'. I never say anythin'."

"Teachers think she's mute," Happy said, shaking his head at her. "I can't get her to shut up," he muttered so only Chico could hear.

Chico chuckled, glancing from the little girl back to the young man in front of him. He wished his cousin was there to see the way Happy took care of Angela. To see the intelligent little girl that he was raising. Chico didn't have kids or an Old Lady, but he loved the two as if they were his own. "She trusts you. That's good. It'll make things a hell of a lot easier when she's older," he explained on a smile. He looked back at the body on the ground and sighed. "Shall we?" he asked gesturing to the dead body on the floor.

They made fast work of wrapping up the dead man and getting him out to the van. When they walked back up the stairs, they found Angela spraying the blood stain left behind with carpet cleaner. "You gotta do it fast or else it'll settle in," she explained at their quizzical looks.

Chico let out a loud guffaw, clapping his hands as though it was the funniest thing he'd ever seen. He scooped Angela up into his arms and pressed a kiss to her cheek. "That's my girl!" he said, proudly before setting her on her feet. "I gotta go take care of this. I'll see you guys later. Be good, Angelita. Love you, _mijita_."

"Bye Uncle Cheeks," she said, tugging on his shirt. He leaned down and she pressed a kiss to his cheek. "Love you!"

Happy waited until his sponsor left before turning back to Angela. "You been goin' to work with Ma again?" he asked, squatting down so he was at her eye level. His mother was a maid and often brought Angela along on her jobs.

"Yep!" she exclaimed. "She let's me get the stains out. I'm good at it."

Happy chuckled, looking down at the now pink stain on the ground. " 'course you are," he said, taking the bottle and rag from her hands. "We're gonna take out the carpet though."

"Oh. Okay," she said around a yawn.

"You tired, kid?"

Her eyes grew wide, a panicked look on her face as she shook her head quickly from side to side. She did not want to be alone in that house, not after what had just happened. "Can we watch some TV first? Please?"

Happy nodded, taking a seat on the couch and patting the space next to it. Angela climbed up next to him, waiting for him to stretch out before snuggling into the space next to his side and the couch, her ear resting just over his heart. He moved his arm around her, his hand brushing over her soft hair as he flicked on the television. He could feel her little heart still beating fast against his side. "You all right, kid?"

"Yeah," she said softly, sniffling a little. She lifted her head to look at him, her dark eyes wide and still afraid. "Were you scared, Hap?"

He stroked her hair as he thought of the answer to the question. Seeing that Aryan asshole with a gun to his little girl's head had been one of the scariest things he'd ever seen, but he wasn't going to admit that to her. "Nah. I knew I could hit him," he said, sounding more confident than he felt.

"I was," she said, resting her head back down on his chest. "But then you came and I knew it was going to be okay. You're a good shot."

"That why you told me to shoot?"

Angela's head moved up and down on against his chest. "I knew you'd save me, Hap."

" 'm always gonna be here to save ya, kid."

"Do I have to sleep in that room tonight?" she asked, her little hand-fisting in the fabric of his t-shirt.

"Nah, you're good here," he said, curling one strand of her hair around his finger.

She sighed contently, rubbing her cheek against his chest. "Hap, you're my favoritist guy in the whole world."

He chuckled, leaning forward to press a kiss to her forehead. "You're my number one girl," he replied without thinking twice because she was. To him, women were just means to an end. He got what he wanted from them and got out. But this kid, this little girl, she was his to take care of. His responsibility. Not to mention, she wasn't clingy, didn't expect anything from him, and didn't nag him. She just accepted him for who he was and loved him with everything she had. The idea that another man would one day come and take her away from him bugged him. He couldn't think of anyone who could ever be good enough for his little girl.

* * *

Angela swung her legs back and forth as she sat perched on a chair next to the tattoo bed that her cousin was laying on. It was an unfamiliar tattoo shop to her, though it was similar to the one she knew in Oakland. She stared at Freddy, the tattoo artist, as he looked over the design Happy wanted. "You want a smiley face?" Freddy asked, looked up at Happy with raised eyebrows.

Happy smirked as he nodded. At twenty-one, his torso was pretty well covered in tattoos, but there was a space above his hipbone that could fit a smiley face. One smiley face to show off how he'd killed a man to protect the club's guns, but most of all to protect his family. If he had to do it again, maybe he'd add another one. He liked that idea. "Yeah."

"I designed it," Angela put in, a proud smile on her face.

"Good for you, little girl," Freddy said without much enthusiasm. "And you're sure you want it there?"

Happy nodded. He fought the urge to laugh at the offended look on Angela's face; she hated being called a 'little girl'. "Would you just do it?"

"Yeah, yeah," he muttered, wiping down the area. He started up the gun got to work. "I didn't know you had a kid."

"I'm his cousin," Angela replied, her eyes on the tattoo gun as it pierced Happy's skin. "And I'm not a little girl. I'm eight."

Freddy chuckled, glancing up at the little girl with the piercing dark eyes. "Sorry. My mistake," he said, a hint of sarcasm in his tone. He finished up with the smiley face, wiping it down and putting a bandage over it before looking over at Angela. "You want a tattoo too since you're not a little girl anymore?"

She wrinkled her nose and shook her head. "Not from you."

Happy smirked as he tossed a few bills Freddy's way. "C'mon, kid," he said, heading for the front door. She skipped after him, sticking her tongue out at Freddy on the way out. "That tongue is gonna get ya in trouble someday."

Angela shrugged a shoulder, taking the full faced helmet he offered her and putting it on her head. It was black with dark blue angel wings on either side; he'd gotten it for her birthday since he deemed eight as being old enough to ride bitch. "He was mean first," she said, strapping it on and waiting patiently for Hap to lift her up onto the motorcycle. "Is the smiley face for me, Hap?"

He nodded, tapping his knuckles against her helmet affectionately. "Sure."

"Can I get one too when I'm older?"

Happy shook his head. He hoped she'd never be put in a position where she could earn a smiley face, and that if she was, _he'd_ be the one to kill whoever put her in that position. "We'll see, kid. 'm sure you can find somethin' better. We gotta head home. Want some food first?"

"Yes! Pizza!" she exclaimed, clapping her hands excitedly. She waited for Happy to get on the bike before grabbing tightly onto his shirt as he had taught her too. He started the bike with a roar, grinning when he heard her squeal of excitement. "Vrooom! Go fast!" she exclaimed, patting his side as if he were a horse.

He pulled out with a roar, speeding down the boulevard as he pictured her grinning like a crazy person in the back seat. She was his sassy little adrenaline junkie, and he wouldn't have it any other way.

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**Like it? Love it? Let me know! I love hearing from y'all! **

**~Love Ink**


	6. Snow, Heart, and the Birds and the Bees

**Changed it up a little more with this chapter...its three tiny snippets all wrapped up in one. ;) I'll be getting to Angela's Mayan interaction and some Kozik in the coming chapters...woot! :D**

**Thanks to everyone who took the time to review, favorite, and follow! Y'all rock! I got back to most of you but thanks also to: _Kerry _and _DarkChild19_**_ (I'm glad it makes the relationship between Angela and Hap easier to understand! That's what I was going for! :D And Angela's already been in a situation that earned her a smiley in Chapter 57 of Hands All Over. She just never got the tattoo...;)). _

**How excited/nervous/anxious are y'all for the season finale!? I've been nervous all day! GAH! Can't believe its already ending and we have to wait another YEAR until the FINAL season! :( **

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but Angela and Elena**

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**It Won't Be Soon Before Long**

_Chapter 6: Snow, Heart, and the Birds and the Bees_

_ By Love Ink_

**Snow**

Happy watched his seven year old cousin as she sized up the mountain of snow in front of her. When she told him she'd never seen snow before, he'd decided to take her to Tahoe on a whim. After all, he'd promised her father he'd take on adventures. Tahoe seemed as good of an adventure as any. He'd been watching her sled down the tiny hills from his place at the bottom for awhile, but he could tell she was getting bored with it especially since she saw the older kids whiz by her at a much faster rate. "Hap?" she asked looking from the mountain to him.

"No," he answered, knowing what she was going to ask.

She frowned, her bottom lip pouting out. "_Please_! Look how fast they're going!"

"Not by yourself," he said, still shaking his head. She was too light and would most likely go sledding right into the street with that kind of speed.

Angela sighed for a moment, her shoulders slumping in defeat before an idea came to her. "Will you go with me?"

"I don't sled."

"_Please, _Happy," she begged, her dark brown eyes wide. "Please, please, please! We can both fit and it'll be so much fun! You'll be the best cousin ever! And I'll be good when we get back home! And for the rest of the year! Please! It can be a Christmas present! I won't ask for anything else! _Please_!"

Whoever told Graciela that Angela didn't talk had obviously never seen her try to get something she wanted, Happy thought with a shake of his head. The kid talked a mile a minute when she wanted something. "All right, all right. Just shut up already."

Her smile widened as she practically jumped up and down with excitement. "Yay!" she exclaimed, wrapping her arms around his legs in a hug.

He patted a hand over her heavy down jacket and sighed wishing he'd listened to his mother when she told him to put actual snow gear on. He hadn't wanted to drive with all that crap on. He'd insisted he'd be fine watching her in his jeans, workboots, and jacket.

Now as they trudged up the hill, he could feel the cold snow soaking through his pants, making them heavier with every step. To her credit, Angela climbed the hill like a champ, tugging the sled behind her as she sang some cheery Christmas song.

Once they got to the top, he sat on the sled, digging his heels into the snow to stop it from moving down the steep slope. He helped Angela climb into his lap, slipping his arms around her as he grabbed onto the string in front of her. "How do you steer this thing?" he muttered, testing out the skimpy strings.

"You don't," she replied, moving her body forward, ready to go down the hill. "That's what makes it fun! C'mon Hap! Let's go!"

Muttering something to himself, he pushed off the hill. The sled flew down the hill. The front end hit a jump, getting them some air time and sending them right towards a tree. Happy dug his heels in, managing to stop the sled merely inches away from the tree.

"Shit," he cursed, raking a cold hand over his hair. "You all right kid?"

Angela jumped up, clapping her hands. "That was _awesome_!" she exclaimed as snow showered down from the branches above them.

Happy had to chuckle as the little flakes of snow caught on his cousin's long eyelashes. His girl was an adrenaline junkie, no doubt about that. And even though he could feel the snow soaking through his clothes, it was all worth it to see her smile like that. "Good," he said standing up and hoisting her out of the deep snow and onto his hip. "'Cause we ain't doin' it again."

"That's okay. You only promised once anyways," she said, clinging onto his neck. After a minute, he felt her warm lips press against his cheek. "Thanks, Hap."

"You really want to go again?" he asked wondering how on earth the little girl wasn't terrified. "We almost hit a tree, kid. You ain't scared?"

She shrugged a shoulder. "I'm with you," she said as a simple explanation. "What do I got to be scared of?"

He smirked at the adoring look on the kid's face. He knew she was telling the truth, the girl was downright fearless when he was around. And he loved that about her. "Absolutely nothin', kid. I got ya," he said, squeezing her quickly. He set her back on her feet in the snow. "One more time."

* * *

**Heart**

Angela walked through the unfamiliar cemetery, studying the headstones as she walked, taking not of the dates and trying to find the oldest one. She knew which one it was in her dad's cemetery: Jeffry Gleason, 1910. She could see her Aunt standing at her Uncle Chico's funeral service not too far away. A heart attack, Elena had told her. She still didn't understand how a heart could attack you, but she kept checking her own to make sure it was still beating normally.

It wasn't her first time in Charming, she'd come a few times to visit with Happy, but they never really hung out in the town or talked to any of the people there. Hap usually just took her on adventures around the Bay area. Sometimes Uncle Chico would come along for the ride.

She knew her aunt was concerned about how she was taking Chico's passing, had heard her talk to her mom about it in hushed tones. After Happy had told her, she'd cried for a while before straightening up and being strong like Hap told her too. They thought she was bottling up her feelings, but she wasn't. She liked to picture Uncle Cheeks and her dad sharing a beer in the sky, watching down on her, being her guardian angels. It was a reassuring thought that she always circled back to.

Angela stopped when she saw a little boy watching her curiously. He was dressed in a pair of dark slacks and a nice blue button up shirt that made his blue eyes stand out. His dirty blonde hair was ruffled slightly as if someone had just given him a noogie. She smiled at him. "Hi!" she greeted, waving.

"Hi," he said shyly, his feet kicking at the grass. "Are you…are you here for the funeral?"

She looked back at the funeral party and nodded. "Cheeks was my uncle."

"Cool. He's my dad's friend," the boy replied shyly. "I'm Thomas. I'm five."

"Angela, I'm nine," she said extending her hand for him to shake. "Why aren't you playing with the other boys?"

Thomas looked over to where his older brother was playing some stupid game with his best friend. He only thought the game was stupid because they wouldn't include him. He wasn't supposed to run so much with his heart condition. "They won't let me."

Angela frowned, her brow furrowing in concern. "That's dumb. Let's go make them!"

"No!" Thomas grabbed her arm, stopping her. "I'm not s'posed to play with them. It could make me sicker."

"Oh," she said, still frowning. "Well, let's do something fun. Let's find the oldest stone in this cemetery!" With that, she grabbed her hands and they set off on their quest.

Gemma watched from the outdoor reception as her Thomas followed around the precocious dark haired girl, laughing and smiling like a normal five year old boy should. She glanced over to a dark haired woman whose eyes were also on the pair. "Cute kid. She yours?" she asked the older woman.

"My niece," she answered on a proud smile. "Chico was her godfather."

"Ah she's Chico's 'little girl'," Gemma said on a nod. "He talked about that little spitfire all the time. Gemma Teller."

"Elena Lowman," she replied, using her husband's last name to infer her connection to her son.

Gemma raised her eyebrows, looking the other woman over with a new respect. "You're Hap's mom, huh? Where's he today?"

Elena nodded, a slow smile on her face. Her son didn't do funerals for those that he loved. He paid tribute to them by taking to the open road. He'd done it when Victor had passed, and he was most certainly doing it now that Chico was gone. "Happy grieves in his own way."

"I get it," she replied, though she didn't really understand anything about the newly patched twenty-two year old. He wasn't chatty like the others. Kept mostly to himself and the boys. " Hap's a good guy."

"He's a strong man. Takes care of his family," she agreed before whistling to catch Angela's attention. The little girl whipped her head around and Elena beckoned for her to come over. "It was nice meeting you, Gemma," she said, walking away quickly. She'd heard all about Gemma and the little mind games she liked to play from Chico. She wasn't up for those kinds of games, not after burying someone she considered a brother.

Gemma watched as the little girl hugged Thomas goodbye before sprinting towards her aunt. She was intrigued by Happy's somewhat normal family, though it seemed his mother said about as much as he did. She watched Thomas' shoulders sag as he headed her way. "Hey baby. You make a new friend?" she asked once he was close enough.

Thomas smiled slightly as he nodded. "Yeah. She's real nice. We found the oldest headstone. Victoria Johansson."

"Maybe we'll see if we can get Hap to let her come visit some other time," she said running her hand over his slightly messy hair. "Would you like that?"

He nodded in response, an excited smile on her face. "Yes! Please!"

* * *

**The Birds and the Bees**

Happy could hear Angela humming as she worked on her homework. Her dark eyes were focused on the math book, the pencil scratching rapidly as she worked through the different problems. She was in the advanced math at her middle school and showed no signs of struggling. In fact, she looked a little bored. He sat down at the table across from her, pulling his sketchpad closer. He had a few tattoo designs he had to work on and for once, Angela was being quiet enough for him to focus on them.

She was silent for a bit before her dark eyes looked up at him, the top of her mechanical pencil shoved into the corner of her mouth. He lifted his eyes from the pad to meet her stare. "What?" he asked, brushing away some eraser dust. He took a sip of his beer watching as she seemed to struggle with finding the right words.

In true Angela fashion, she blurted out her question as tactlessly and bluntly as possible. "What's sex?"

Happy choked on his beer. He sputtered and coughed as he tried to wrap his head around the fact that his twelve year old cousin was asking him what sex was. "What?"

"Sex. What is it?" she asked again.

He checked his watch, praying that it was close enough to six that he could just leave the question for his mother when she got home. No such luck. He still had two more hours with the kid. "The fuck did that come from?"

"Jimmy Jr. asked if I wanted to do 'it', and when I asked what 'it' was, he said sex," she explained on a shrug. Hearing Happy swear hadn't bothered her since she was two years old.

"What'd you say?"

"I said I didn't want to do anything with him," Angela answered as though it was no big deal. "Guy's a pussy. He ratted out Daniel when he was chewing gum in class. Who does that? It wasn't like Daniel was botherin' anyone."

Happy smirked at her language. If her mother heard her talking like that, she'd have his head. "Good call, kid. Don't want to get stuck with a rat," he answered, hoping it would changed the subject.

She wasn't swayed though. "So what is it?"

"They don't teach you at school?"

"Not yet. That page was pulled out of the school dictionary, but I can ask the librarian if she has a book," she offered, looking back at her math problem. "

"No! Jesus Christ, kid!" he exclaimed, shaking his head. The teachers already thought Angela was weird enough, she didn't need to go asking for inappropriate books. "Sex is…y'know when we watch movies and I cover your eyes? Its 'cause they're having sex."

"Okay…" she dragged out, a confused look on her face. "But what _is_ it?"

Happy ran a hand over his face before sighing. "Hold up a sec," he said, getting out of his chair and disappearing down the hall.

Angela stared at his back curiously. She knew he was heading into his bedroom. He came back out with a video tape in his hand and gestured to the couch. She quickly slammed her book closed and headed over, watching as he queued up the movie.

"Sex is used to…make kids," he explained as he paused porno on the opening screen. He pressed play, "And this is how it works."

Angela was silent throughout the whole movie, her dark eyes wide with a mixture of fear and curiosity. Every so often, she'd wince. Mostly in response to the use of a leather crop and some of the more intense bondage scenes. Happy grimaced along with her, knowing this porno would forever be ruined for him. He stopped the tape after letting her watch the main parts.

She sat staring at the blank screen for a moment. "_That's_ sex?" she asked, a disgusted sound to her voice. "Do _you_ do that?"

"Let's not go there tonight, kid," he muttered, hoping to God she wouldn't ask any more questions. "_You_ shouldn't do it. Not now, not ever."

"Oh, Happy, I won't," she said with a rapid shake over her head. "It's dis_gust_ing. I'm going to kick Jimmy Jr.'s _ass_ for wanting to do that to me."

Happy smirked proudly, that was his girl. "Language," he chastised. It was one thing for him to swear, it was quite another for her to. "Any questions about the…parts?"

"Nah. I know about the penis and the vagina. I read Ma's nursing books. And it talks about sexual intercourse, but I thought sex might be different…is it?"

"No."

"Damn," she cursed shaking her head in disbelief. "I'm never having sex."

Happy ruffled her hair. He was proud of her. She was so smart in the way she analyzed things. "Good. Don't."

Angela sighed heavily, leaning her head against Happy's shoulder. "Can we watch Star Wars now? There's no sex in that."

Happy chuckled, getting up with a grunt and taking out the tape. The Star Wars VHS was always handy since it was the only movie they each agreed on watching. "You finish your homework?"

"I finished it awhile ago," she admitted on a shrug. "I was just doing extra problems 'cause I didn't want to bother you while you were sketchin'."

"Thanks, kid," he said, ruffling her hair lightly as he sat down. Though his teaching style was a bit unorthodox, he was pleased with it. Scaring her out of having sex was as good a tool as any to avoid any future problems. He knew she'd find out eventually that not all sex was like the porno he'd just shown her, but he hoped by then that she a hell of a lot older than twelve like forty. And he prayed to God that when that day happened, he'd never have to hear or see it. Otherwise, he'd be getting a lot more smiley face tattoos for his little cousin.

* * *

**These were just three random snippets I had in my folder, so I figured I'd put them all together and share before delving into Angela's teenage years. ;) **

**Let me know what you think! **

**~Love Ink**


	7. New Friends & Challenges

**Oh. My. Gosh. What an INSANE season finale! Holy cow! I cannot WAIT to see what happens next season! Of course, there's a whole year to wait. Ugh. :( **

**Thank you so much for everyone who took the time to review! I got back to most of you but thanks also to _DarkChild19 _(**_I made her young when Chico died because the SOA app said Chico died young of a heart attack. :( You're also correct that the reason I made her so young is so she could meet Thomas that once and not remember it when she was older. Gemma never got her name, so she wouldn't remember Angie either. ;) Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas to you as well!). _

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but Angela and other characters you don't recognize!**

* * *

**It Won't Be Soon Before Long**

_Chapter 7: New Friends & Challenges_

_ By Love Ink_

Angela stared at Happy over the slice of cheesecake she'd ordered at their favorite diner. The candle that had been lit a top it was still smoking. She pushed the plate at him, waiting for him to take the first bite before taking off a bite for herself. They ate in silence for a brief moment before Happy set down his fork. "Got some news, kid."

She lifted her eyebrows at him. "What?" she asked around the bite.

"Remember that job I did up in Charming?"

Angela nodded, slowly chewing on the piece of cake in her mouth. "The dangerous one?"

"Yeah. Gonna have to go inside for a nickel."

Her stomach turned as she blinked at him, trying to process it all. It didn't make sense. Happy didn't get caught. "You're going to _jail_?" she questioned, eyes wide. "For five _years_?"

He nodded, taking another bite. "Three on good behavior," he corrected.

Her shoulders sagged as she shook her head. "Yeah, but you don't behave," she said, tossing her fork down, no longer hungry. "Shit, Hap."

"Don't swear," he ordered, glaring at her.

She looked at him like he was crazy. He was going _to jail_ but still thought it was his place to tell her not to swear."Hap, I start high school in two weeks. You gonna be there for that?"

"You don't need me, kid. You'll be fine," he said confidently.

Angela swallowed at the lump in her throat. "Hap, I don't have a dad. I don't have anyone to watch out for me besides you."

"You'll be fine, kid. You're smart," he replied. At her doubtful look, he shrugged. "I'll have some brothers look in on ya."

She knew about the club, but he kept her at arm's distance. He'd never taken her to a club event or introduced her around; she just knew that if something happened, they were good people to call. They had the SAMCRO clubhouse number tacked up by their phone at the house in case of emergencies. "No, fuck that," she said on a scowl. "I don't want anything to do with your stupid club."

"Watch your mouth, kid," he said again, his eyes darkening in annoyance. "You stay straight. Go to school, get the grades, go to college. Your dad and Ma got a fund for ya. Stay away from that little Mayan shit."

Angela rolled her eyes. Her friendship with Rosa Perez was continually a sore spot between her and Hap. Rosa was the Mayan SAA's daughter, her brother, Rafael, was best friends with Esai Alvarez, the VP's son. She couldn't count how many sleepovers she'd been to when those boys were staying just down the hall in Rafa's room. Rosa and her cousins were her only friends, all of them allied to the Mayans, all of them people Happy hated. "She's my best friend. I don't have any other friends besides her crew, Hap."

"High school is big. Make new ones," he suggested. "Her Dad's a Mayan officer. Stay away. Ain't gonna do you no good."

She scowled at him. "So I lose you and my best friend all in day. Awesome. High school's going to be great."

Happy smiled a little at her sarcasm. "You're gonna be fine."

"Stop saying that," she said, her voice catching in her throat as tears gathered in her eyes. "Five _years_, Hap. I'll be almost twenty by the time you get out."

He nodded. "I'll be there to see ya graduate from Stanford or some shit."

"Ain't going to Stanford."

"Not talkin' like that you're not," he said, glaring at her. "I wouldn't be leavin' ya less I had to. You _know_ that."

Angela nodded, wiping at her eyes. "When you leavin'?"

"Tonight."

"Hap, its your birthday," she said wiping at her eyes. He was turning twenty-eight and headed inside for a five year sentence. She hated that idea.

He nodded slowly. "Pigs don't give a shit. Stop cryin'. You ain't hurtin'."

She sucked in a long breath, trying to reign in her tears. "I know, I know."

He slid out of the booth, carefully counting out his cash to the exact right amount and setting it on the table. "Let's go," he said, tucking his wallet back into his pants.

Angela waited for him to head to the door before tossing in a few more dollars for tip. Hap was always stingy with his money. The waitress behind the counter gave her an appreciative wink. She walked towards where Happy was waiting for her by his bike. "You owe me three bucks," she said, taking the helmet he offered her. "A two dollar tip is bullshit, Hap."

He smirked at her. "Dollar for each time you swore. We're even."

"I'm not a kid anymore," she said on a scowl. "I'm almost fifteen. I think I'm allowed to swear without owing you stuff."

"Nah." Happy set one of his big hands a top her helmet and gave it a shake, a small smile tugging up the corners of his lips. His smile faded when he spotted a young gangster eyeing her as he headed inside the diner. "Gotta stop gettin' older, kid. Bullets are expensive."

"Fat lot of good that'll do ya in jail," she said, getting on top of the back of the Dyna. "Send you right back in. By the time you get out you'll be an uncle."

"You got jokes, huh?"

Angela shrugged a shoulder. "Jokes for days."

"Love you, kid," he said, tapping the side of her helmet lovingly with his knuckle. "I'ma come home soon, aight. You gotta stay strong for me. For Ma. 's all on you."

She sucked in a deep breath as she felt that responsibility weigh on her shoulders. Her eyes itched with tears, but she held them back. Tears wouldn't make him stay. "Okay, Hap. Love you too."

* * *

Angela watched the taillights of Happy's Dyna get smaller as he drove off into the night. He was heading for Charming. They'd take him away there, and she wouldn't see him for another five years. She felt her mom and aunt's eyes on her back, waiting for her to come inside, but she didn't want to. She didn't want to be in that house. She didn't want to talk to anyone, see anyone. She just wanted to run.

So she did. She took off, chasing his taillights as tears streaked down her cheeks. "Come back!" she shouted, running as hard as she could. "Hap! Please!"

She stopped in front of the old playground as a wicked cramp hit her side, making it hard for her to breathe. Holding her side, she walked to the swing set and sat down heavily, her head hanging down. Happy was gone. He wasn't going to come back. She could run all the way to Charming, but it wouldn't stop the inevitable from happening. He was gone. For five years, there'd be no one to protect her, to teach her things or take her on adventures. She loved her aunt and her mom, but they were different from Happy. They didn't understand her like he did.

She walked the swing back, taking a deep breath before pushing off the ground and launching herself into the air. Pumping her legs back and forth, she propelled the swing higher and higher. The cold air whooshed by her, the sound of it drowning out her thoughts and drying the tears that wouldn't stop falling. With one final pump, she let go, launching herself off the swing into midair. For a second, she was weightless, above it all. Then the earth started to come up, and she prepared herself to meet it. She landed in a crouch on the sand, like Happy had taught her, her hair in front of her face.

A loud, slow clap alerted her that she was not alone. She wiped at her eyes quickly before lifting her head to see who was clapping. Esai Alvarez stood at the edge of the playground looking just as handsome as ever. She'd always had a crush on him. There was something about his dark skin and pretty blue eyes that made her stomach do those weird flops.

"Nice jump, _chiqui_," he said, his blue eyes raking over her figure as she stood from the sand and dusted off her knees. She'd grown up, filled out a little. He knew she'd be starting his high school soon and the boys would be all over that tight little body. (_Slang for l__ittle one)_

"Thanks," she said, blushing as she pushed her hair behind her ear. Her dark eyes met his, black liner smudged underneath them. She sniffled slightly, wiping away the mess before crossing her arms over her chest trying her best to play it cool. "What're you doin' out here?"

Esai looked over his shoulder to where a few of his friends were sitting on a park bench passing around a joint and a handle of cheap tequila. He'd been in on the fun until he saw the young girl start swinging. He couldn't take his eyes off her. "Messin' around," he said on shrug. He walked by her, hitting her shoulder with his before he took a seat down on one of the swings. "_Que paso_?" (_What happened?)_

She watched him walk by before going to sit on the swing next to him. "_Nada_," she murmured, dragging her foot back and forth and swinging just a little. (_Nothing.)_

"Your_ primo _got taken in today, huh?" he asked, his blue eyes staring at her face. Angela focused on the ground as she nodded. He sighed in response. "Heard some of the Sons were going inside. _Lo siento_. Know he was a big part of your life." (_Cousin, I'm sorry.)_

She shrugged a shoulder, doing her best to play it off like it was no big deal. "'s all right. I'll get by," she said rubbing at her arms. It was cold out, and she hadn't grabbed a sweatshirt.

Esai noticed the goosebumps dotted across the skin of her bare arms. He stood, shrugging out of his leather jacket before holding it out to her. "Take it. _Hace frio_." (_It's cold.)_

Her cheeks darkened in a blush once again as she stood and slipped into it. It was warm and smelled like cologne and weed, like him. "Thanks."

Esai stepped in front of her, brushing her hair away from her face. His blue-green eyes swept over her pretty face before settling on her lips. "No problem. You need anythin' you come to me. _Entiendes_?" (_Understand?)_

"I'll be okay," she whispered, tugging nervously on the ends of the sleeves.

He didn't reply to her comment. "Why don't you stop by my place tomorrow? My dad's firin' up the grill, ma's making _tamales_. It'll be fun."

Angela's dark eyes met his, a look of surprise in them. She'd heard about the Alvarez family dinners for some time and had been to one or two with Rosa, but she'd never been personally invited by Esai. "Yeah, okay. Sure," she stammered out. She didn't have anything else to do that day. Both her mom and aunt worked. Sundays were usually her "Happy" days where they'd hang out together. Being out with other people would be a good distraction.

"Aight, _nena_. I'll pick you up 'round three tomorrow," he said, his hands still on her arms. "You want a ride home tonight?"

She furrowed her brow, a little confused about all this driving talk. Esai wasn't sixteen yet; he still had a month or two to go. "You can't drive."

"Not legally," he replied on a shrug. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders, dragging her towards where his friends were sitting. "_Vamos, chiqui_. I'm going to take care of ya." (_Let's go, little one.)_

To her surprise, his friends were quite welcoming when they approached. Raffa ran up to her and threw his arms around her, lifting her off the ground, and spinning her around before setting her on her feet. "_Angelita_, what you doin'?" he asked, his words slurred. Angela looked over at Esai, her eyes wide. Esai just smirked and made a drinking motion with his hands. "Hey, _mami_. Heard about your cuz. Dontchu worry, '_mana_. We gotchu. The Mayans will protect you, right _ese_?"

"Ya'll ain't Mayans," one of the other boys said on a scowl. Angela recognized him. He was a white boy, Brent, all star football player who was clearly out of place surrounded by all the Mexican bad boys.

"Not yet, '_mano. _But we will be." Esai smirked, making sure the booze and the joint stayed out of Angela's reach. She was fourteen. Too young for that shit, in his opinion. To her credit, she didn't reach for them or ask to try it. She knew better. That was something he liked about her; she was a smart girl. A beautiful, smart girl.

Brent looked her over slowly, an eyebrow raised as he appraised her figure. Angela pulled the coat closer around her, trying to hide in its large size. "Ain't her cousin a Son anyways?" he asked Esai as if she couldn't answer herself.

"Don't worry about it," Esai said draping a protective arm over her shoulders. He didn't like the way Brent was looking at her and staked his claim no matter how small it was. "She's cool."

"Yeah. Mad cool," Raffa chimed in, a drunken smile on his face.

Angela smiled slightly, the ache in her heart subsiding as she listened to Esai stick up for her. Maybe life without Happy wouldn't be so bad if she had Esai and his crew to hang out with.

* * *

Angela jumped at the sound of a knock on the door. She walked quickly to answer it, relaxing when Esai smiled at her from the other side. "Hi," she said, pushing her hair behind her ear nervously. "Wasn't sure you'd show up."

"Why not? I told you I'd be here," Esai said on a shrug. He looked her over, smiling at the conservative way she was dressed. Simple dark jeans, dirty sneakers, and a black v-neck. "You look good, _chiqui_."

"Thanks," she replied, blushing a little. She held out the jacket he'd loaned her the night before. "Here. Thanks for letting me use it."

He took it from her hands, slinging it over his shoulder before holding out a hand for her to take. "Let's go, _Angelita_."

Angela took his hand, letting him lead her to the passenger door of his truck. He opened it for her and everything. Smiling shyly, she climbed in and waited for him to slip in the driver's seat. The ride over was done in complete silence save for the Tejano music coming from the radio. Nervous butterflies flittered in Angela's stomach as she watched the houses go by. He pulled into his driveway and told her to wait before he ran around the nose of the car and opened her door for her. "_Vamonos_," he said, taking her hand again.

Angela stepped into the large house apprehensively. Reassured only by Esai's hand in hers. He dragged her towards the kitchen. "Mama! Angela is here!" he called out.

"Oh good! _Veni, Angelita, necesito ayuda con los tamales_!" Diana shouted back from the kitchen. (_Come here, I need help with the tamales.)_

Esai grinned at her, letting go of her hand and gently pushing her into the kitchen. "You heard the woman."

Angela furrowed her brow and walked into the kitchen where Diana was currently wrist deep in tamale dough. "Hi Diana," she greeted awkwardly shifting from foot to foot. She'd met Diana once before but hadn't talked to her very much.

Diana looked over her shoulder at the young girl. Esai had told her a bit about her story. Her father had passed away when she was very young, the only other man in her life had been sent to jail, her mother and aunt worked most days leaving her alone. Her heart went out to the pretty girl; she too had been left alone most days of her youth. At least she'd had siblings to entertain her. From what she knew, Angela didn't even have that. "_Hola mija_. _Como estas_?" (_Hi, my daughter. How are you?)_

"Good. Do you need help?"

"Yes, of course," Diana replied brushing a stray hair from her face. She smiled at the young girl who looked so shy as she washed her hands in the sink. "Do you know how to make a tamale?"

Angela frowned as she shook her head. "My mom and aunt don't make 'em that much."

Diana waved away her concern. "_Bueno, veni. _I'll teach you." (_Okay, c'mon)_

It didn't take long for Angela to catch on. In no time, she was chatting with Diana about everything from her family life to her upcoming first day of school. It was strange talking to an older woman so openly. She was usually so reserved with her mom and aunt, but for some reason, talking to Diana was easy.

It turned out that the "family party" Esai had invited her to was actually a club dinner. Angela realized it too late when she saw member after member walk through the door. Angela had thought that at least Rosa and Raffa would be around, but it seemed to be only club members. Her mind flitted to her cousin, knowing he'd kill her if he ever found out about this. Guilt pooled in her stomach; Happy hadn't even been inside for a full day, and she was neck deep in Mayans. If he ever found out about this, she was a dead girl.

Esai appeared by her side, slipping an arm around her waist, his touch completely derailing her train of thought. "Relax, _chiqui,"_ he said, grabbing two plates and holding one out to her. "We don't eat with 'em."

She followed his lead, serving herself some tamales and some rice and beans. "Where do we eat?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

"C'mon, I'll show ya," he said climbing up the stairs. He led her to his bedroom, setting down his plate before opening up his window.

"The roof?" she asked, watching in surprise as he climbed out.

He turned around and gave her that lazy smile of his, his pretty blue eyes sparkling. "Yeah, _veni_," he said grabbing his plate and setting it on his lap. (_Come.)_

Angela carefully pulled herself out of the window and onto the expansive roof before picking up her plate too. The house wasn't very tall and only offered a view of more houses in the neighborhood, nothing too impressive but the stars were beautiful. "Cool," she said leaning against the house.

He nodded in response, taking a bite from his tamale before looking over at her. "You get to go to dinners like this with the Sons? Heard the head Old Lady there throws some mad parties."

She snorted in response, shaking her head. "Nah, the only Son I know is Hap. That's a part of his life that he keeps me out of," she said on a shrug. She frowned, disappointed. Did Esai only befriend her to learn more about the Sons? "Is that why you invited me over? So I could give you intel on the Sons?

Esai chuckled, shaking his head at her. "Of course not, _chiqui_. I invited you over because you looked damn good in those jeans last night," he replied honestly. "Just wanted to make sure I didn't have to worry about you runnin' to _primo_ with Mayan intel."

Angela shook her head, putting another forkful of food in her mouth and chewing thoughtfully. "I'm not that kind of person," she stated on a shrug. "Honestly, I don't plan on telling Hap who I'm hanging out with. He specifically said to stay away."

"And here you are, you little rebel."

She smirked, meeting his gaze briefly. "Well, you said your mom was making tamales, and I wasn't about to pass _that _up," she teased, knocking her shoulder against his. "Company's not bad either."

Esai smiled at her. "Not bad, ey? That mean I'm gonna be seein' more of you, _chiqui_? You're s'posed to stay away," he reminded her, his eyes playful.

"He'll be gone for five _years_," Angela said, feeling a little satisfied going against Happy's wishes like she was. He'd left her. Just up and left like it was nothing. Like it was easy. The resentment she felt was fueling this little rebellion, and she was going to run with it while she could. "Not much he can do about it from behind bars."

* * *

Happy stepped into the visiting room, a sense of relief coming over him when he saw Angela sitting there. He'd been inside six months and the kid had yet to visit him. Today was a special day though. One he hadn't wanted to miss. He walked towards her, noting the changes in his cousin as she stood up, shifting excitedly, a huge smile on her face. When he was close enough, she threw her arms around him in a hug. "Hey kid," he greeted, dropping a kiss to her head. "Happy Birthday. You get my present?"

She flashed him the ring he'd bought her. It was a simple ring. A skull with angel wings on either side of it. "Its awesome, Hap! How'd you get it from inside?"

He shrugged a shoulder sitting down across from her at the table. His mother "Don't worry about it," he said. He had Tig to thank for it, actually. Hap had ordered the ring from the same place the Sons got all of their rings before he'd gone inside. He'd asked Tig to go pick it up and mail it to his mom's place. He grabbed her hand, inspecting the custom ring. "It fits?"

Angela nodded enthusiastically. "Perfectly!"

"It's pure silver. Won't turn you finger green 'n' shit."

"Thanks, Hap. I love it"

He nodded, grabbing her hand and studying the simple ring. Her nails were painted a vibrant red, chipped in some places probably because she chipped it away when she was nervous. "How you been, kid? Ain't seen you around."

"Busy with school and stuff," she answered on a breath.

"How's high school? You doin' track like ya wanted?"

Angela shrugged a shoulder. "Nah, not yet. That's a spring sport. I'm just tryin' to get used to my classes. Advanced math is hella hard, but I got a lot of friends in that class so its pretty awesome," she explained, waving her hands around as she talked. She loved math. Since Esai was a year behind, and she was a year ahead, they had the same class. He sat behind her and was constantly messing with her. Playing with her hair, rubbing her shoulders, whispering nice things in her ear.

"Good," he said bobbing his head. The necklace around her neck caught his eye. His girl didn't wear necklaces especially not sparkly ones like that. A red gem in the shape of a heart with silver angel wings on either side of it. "That's new," he said nodding to it.

She looked down at the gaudy necklace Esai had given her the night before, picking up the charm and playing with it. Honestly, she hated the look of it, but she loved the idea behind it. He'd given it to her at midnight the night before as they sat close together on the roof, his arm around her shoulders. It was Esai's first present to her. His second had been a kiss, her first ever. "Umm…it was a present," she explained simply. A blush rising to her cheeks as she remembered the feel of Esai's soft lips against her own, the way his hand had tangled into her hair, his tongue sweeping into her mouth.

Happy narrowed his eyes at her, noting her flushed cheeks. "From who?"

Angela pushed her hair behind her ears nervously and shrugged. "Oh, just a friend."

"A guy?"

"No," she lied, twisting her ring around her finger.

"Don't lie to me, kid," he said, sitting up straighter. He hated being away from her. Hated that being stuck inside meant she could hide things from him.

Angela sighed, raking a hand through her hair. "It's a guy. A really, really nice guy from school. I like him a lot, Hap. He's really…sweet."

"Who?"

"Don't worry about it, Hap," she said lightly. She was cursing herself for not taking the necklace off the night before. What had she been thinking? "How are you?"

Happy wasn't buying it. There had to be a reason she wasn't gushing about her new friend, male or female. She'd told him every detail about her whole life since she could talk. "Who is it, Angela?"

Angela bit her lip, looking down at her hands. He only used her first name when he was mad or frustrated. "Umm…Esai Alvarez."

He stared at her in disbelief. Alvarez. As in Marcus Alvarez. He'd specifically told her to stay away from the Mayans, and she dived straight into them going after the VP's son. "Jesus Christ, kid," he muttered, shaking his head at her. "This ends now."

"Hap, I…"

"Now, Angela," he growled, his dark eyes angry. "Take that shit off. Give it back. And find some new fuckin' friends."

Frustrated tears gathered along her lower lashes. Sucking in a deep breath, she made them go away, squaring her shoulders, and trying to muster up the courage to stand up to him. "No."

His eyebrow shot up in shock. She'd never said no to him before. "No?"

"No," she confirmed, her hands curling into fists at the same time Hap's did. They were both angry as hell at each other. "He is…he is the one good thing I have going in my life right now, and I'm not going to throw that away because your stupid club has a stupid rivalry with his dad's. Esai is _not_ a club member."

"Not yet."

Angela glared back at him, swallowing hard. "I don't give a shit. I'm not going to break it off with E just because you say so. You're not the boss of me," she replied, getting to her feet and looking at the prison guard. "I'm done here."

"Sit down, Angela," Happy growled, his hands curled into white knuckled fists. "Now."

"No," she replied, knocking her knuckle on the table.

Happy stood too. "Angela Ines, sit your ass down."

"No," she repeated, holding his angry gaze. She wasn't scared of him. There was nothing he could do to her while locked up. "Guard? You can get my aunt. I'm done."

It wasn't until Angela was alone, sitting in her aunt's car, that she broke down. Sobs escaped her lips as she buried her face in her hands. She hated disappointing her cousin, hated being mad at him. But without Esai, she'd be alone every day. Esai and his family were slowly starting to fill the void Happy had left when he'd abandoned her. She couldn't give that up. She wouldn't. She didn't want to be alone. Life had been hard enough without her dad, losing Happy had made it worse. Esai was the one thing that was keeping her together right now. She couldn't just let him go.

* * *

After a quick visit with his mom, Happy sat down heavily on his bed, rubbing a hand over his bald head. He was pissed beyond belief, stunned by her defiance. Angela had never gotten that mad at him before, had never walked away from him like that. That was not the little girl he left behind.

"Saw the kid visitin' you today. She yours?" Kozik asked, as he sat down on the edge of Hap's bunk next to him. He'd been indicted on the same charge along with some other Sons from different charters. They'd pulled some strings so they could share cells.

"Cousin," Happy answered curtly.

Kozik nodded in understanding. "You two close?"

"Been the only man in her life since she was three."

"How old is she now?"

"Fifteen."

Kozik chuckled, shaking his head at her. "That's rough, man. My brother's that age. He's a pain in the ass. Thinks he knows everything."

Happy smirked; Angela wasn't much different. "She's lost. Fell in with the Mayans down in Oak-town. She's datin' the VP's son."

"Rebellious little shit, huh?"

Though he wasn't pleased with Kozik calling his cousin a 'little shit', Happy had to admit, his brother's assessment was spot on. "Yeah," he said on a chuckle. "Kid was a lot easier when she was in pigtails."

"Most of 'em are," he agreed on a nod. He glanced over his shoulder to where a few pictures were taped to the wall. There was one of a gapped tooth little girl astride a Harley. "That her? She's cute."

Happy looked over at the picture. Angela had been five and toothless. He liked her a lot better then. "Don't even think about it."

"Nah, not like that, man. I ain't into kids like that. I mean, I like 'em as in some day I want to be an Uncle or some shit. Kids like me. Think I'm funny."

"Funny lookin'," Happy muttered on a smirk.

Kozik chuckled, rolling his eyes. "He treat her right?"

"Who?"

"The Mayan kid? He treat her right? Make her happy?"

Happy looked at him as though he'd grown an extra head. He didn't give a shit how the Mayan treated his little cousin. All he really cared about was the fact that she was betraying his club by getting into the Mayan shit. "Dunno," he answered on a shrug. "Got pissed when I told her to end it."

"Probably 'cause she likes the kid," Kozik mused, playing with the tips of his hair. "If she's anythin' like you, she ain't going to change 'cause you tell her to stay away. If she's happy, let her be happy. Ain't nothing you can do about it behind bars. When we get out, we'll set her straight."

"_We_?" Happy repeated flatly.

"Sure," he replied, shrugging again and flashing him a grin. "I like a challenge."

* * *

**Yes, I know Angela's a bit of a brat but what fifteen year old isn't a bit bratty? ;) Let me know what you think! I love hearing from you!**

**~Love Ink**


	8. Growing Up Fast

**HAPPY NEW YEAR everyone! I wish you all lots of luck and happiness in the new year! :) **

**Thanks so much to everyone who took the time to read/review/favorite/follow! I got back to most of you, but thanks to _DarkChild19_**_ (Well, I'm so glad you're 'talking' via review because I love reading them! :) I'm glad I got you to laugh! I try and put some humor in there every once in awhile. Compelling is right, I think. ;) I know exactly how you feel, I'm definitely better at writing than talking ;)). _

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but Angela**

* * *

**It Won't Be Soon Before Long**

_Chapter 8: Growing Up Fast_

_ By Love Ink_

Angela watched as the boys passed around the tequila bottle in the local park. As she watched them drink, she played awkwardly with the keys to Esai's truck feeling incredibly out of place. She was fifteen and the only sober one there because Esai decided she was too young to drink. Looking at her black painted nails, she sighed. A few of his friends' girlfriends had practically kidnapped her and forced her into a makeover insisting Esai would like her better if they made a few improvements. She'd felt like Sandra Dee straight out of _Grease _watching helplessly as they tweezed, painted, and even dyed her hair in an attempt to get her to look exactly like them. She now knew how to wing her eyeliner, use the dark tones of eyeshadow just right, line her lips, and fill them with a lighter color. Topping it off with her filled in eyebrows and the dark red hair, Angela saw a complete chola when she looked at her reflection. She hated it, but Esai didn't. He hadn't taken his eyes off of her the whole night.

"Look at my girlfriend, _chicos_," Esai said, gesturing proudly to Angela. "Isn't she beautiful?"

She rolled her eyes at him, smiling despite herself as the boys raised their little shot classes and clinked them together. "Yeah, yeah, shut up," she said, blushing when Esai winked at her. The rest of the girls clapped proudly from where they were dancing to the Tejano music pumping from the stereo.

Jenny, Raffa's girlfriend, came over and grabbed Angela's hands, smiling at her, her white teeth bright against her darkly painted lips. "C'mon, _mami. Baila conmigo_," she ordered. (_Dance with me.)_

With a groan, Angela let her pull her from the bench and into the area where the rest of the girls were dancing. She closed her eyes, letting the beat take her away as she swayed her hips to the music. It wasn't long before she felt warm arms slide around her hips, fingers dipping into her jean pockets. "Makin' me jealous, _chiqui_. Everyone's starin' at you," Esai's voice whispered in her ear.

A shiver went down her spine at the feel of his hot breath on her neck. Closing her eyes, she leaned back into him, bringing her arms up to loop around his neck. "Only one guy I care about," she said, tilting her head back and smiling as he put his lips to hers.

"You and me, _Angelita_. For life," he promised her, turning her around to face him. She grabbed the chain around his neck with the cross on it that she'd given him, pulling him in for another kiss.

She nodding, smiling at him. They'd been together for a whole year now, something that was crazy to her. Esai was one of the hottest guys in the junior class. What the hell did he want with her? Whatever it was, she was happy for it. He brought her into his family, one that welcomed her with open arms. Diana had taken her under her wing, teaching her all the things that a normal mother would since both her aunt and mother were so busy with work now that Happy was away and couldn't help support them. Marcus had also warmed up to her enough to offer to teach her to drive. He was good at it too. Always patient and supportive, the kind of father figure she needed now that Happy was gone.

The first few weeks without her cousin had been tough to be sure, but she used to it now. She hadn't spoken to him in months, avoiding his phone calls like the plague. It was better that he wasn't there. That he didn't know what she was up to, so she wouldn't have to face his disappointment. If she didn't talk to him, there was no way to know for sure if he'd was disappointed in her or not, so she stayed away.

Angela looked up at Esai, her heart skipping a beat as his blue eyes twinkled back at him. "_Hasta el fin_," she said softly, raking her fingers through her hair before kissing him again. (_Til the end_.)_  
_

That's when the heard the sirens coming in the distance. "Shit!" Esai exclaimed, grabbing her hand and starting to pull her towards the parking lot. "Run!"

* * *

Marcus Alvarez was startled awake by a slap to the chest from his wife. He groaned as he woke up, looking over at his wife with an eyebrow raised. "_Que paso?__"_ he asked around a yawn. (What_ happened?)_

Diana's eyes were dark with anger as she sat up. "The kids are in trouble. You need to go to the station to pick them up. Now."

He ran a hand over his face as he sat up. "_Que hicieron_?" he repeated. After catching his son with a baggie of weed earlier that week, he could only imagine what kind of trouble he and his friends were in. (_What did they do_?)

"_Tu hijo _and his crew were drinking in the park _y los agraron_. _Que chico mas estupido_. At least when we were young we didn't get caught," she said on a scowl. "_Y pobre Angelita! _She sounded so scared when she called! She doesn't need to be in on this! She's only fifteen !" (_Your son...and they got them. What a stupid boy! And poor little Angel.)_

Marcus frowned, getting out of bed and changing into some clothes. "Was she drinking?"

"_Por supuesto que no!__ Pero_ she was there. _Tu hijo_ put the alcohol in her purse! That's why they took her too!" (_Of course not...but...your son)_

He shook his head in response. He cared for Angela as though she were his own daughter. The girl had a good head on her shoulders despite her young age. His son needed a girl like that to keep him in line, though most of the time Esai still managed to get her in trouble. He knew Angela was constantly in and out of detention for skipping school, something he had no doubt was his son's doing. "_Estupido_," he muttered. "I'll talk to him."

Diana kissed her husband quickly. "Good. Bring them home, Marcus."

* * *

Marcus sighed as he peered into the cell in the back of the local police department. Angela was curled up on the bench next to Esai, her head resting on his thigh. Esai had his head tilted back against the wall, mouth open, eyes closed, passed out. Luckily for Angela, he had connections in the department and the officer agreed to release her to him without calling her mother, though it would still appear on her record. He stepped into the cell, his boots loud on the cement floor. Reaching out a hand, he patted his son's cheek non-too-gently. "Esai! Wake up!"

The teenager woke with a start, blinking bleary-eyed up at his father. His blue eyes were still red and at half-mast. By the looks of it, he was still drunk and high. "Shit. Sup, Pops?"

Marcus just shook his head in disappointment before moving a hand to Angela's shoulder and gently shaking her awake. "_Angelita_. Wake up, _mija_. Time to go home."

Angela groaned, opening up her eyes and carefully sitting up. "Hey Marc," she greeted. She stood with a groan, rubbing at her tired eyes. "Do I have to call my Ma?"

"No, _mija_," he said, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. "I handled it. You're comin' with me."

"_Gracias_," she said on a relieved sigh before kissing his seat. She didn't know what she would do if her mom found out about it. Things were tense between them to begin with, adding on an arrest would not help matters. Esai dragged behind them as they headed to Marcus' truck. She climbed in first, situating herself between the Alvarez men.

Esai draped an arm around her shoulders and she relaxed into his side. It wasn't long until her felt her grow heavy against him. Looking down, he wasn't surprised to find her sound asleep. "Didn't mean to pull her into this, Pops," he stated softly, his fingers trailing up and down her arm as he spoke.

"Yeah, but you did," Marcus said, a look of disapproval on his face. "_Tiene quince anos_, _mijo_. She don't need bullshit on her record because of your stupid ass." (_She's only fifteen.)_

"I know," he said, hanging his head. "What was I s'posed to do, Pops? It was take her with me or leave her alone at that house. _No tiene nadien_." (_She doesn't have anyone.)_

Marcus sighed as he nodded. "_Ya lo se_," he said on a sigh. He knew Angela's mother and aunt spent most of the time working which left her alone and to her own devices most of the time. He also knew her cousin was in jail which didn't help matters. The girl was too young to be left alone for so long. "Next time just bring her over. Your Ma'll find somethin' for her to do while your out doin' your shit, all right? She got anyone at home now?" (_I already know.)_

Esai tensed immediately. He'd met her mother a few times and knew how strict she was. He'd heard the awful things she yelled at Angela about her throwing her life away, about being a disgrace to their family name. He couldn't imagine what she'd say if she came home with an arrest on her record. "You can't take her home, Pa," he said, his tone serious, almost pleading. "Put her in our guest room for the night. Please. Her Ma'll go crazy if she finds out about all this."

"And she won't go crazy that she slept over our house?"

He shook his head quickly. "She'll never know. She snuck out tonight and her Ma goes to work at like five AM comes home 'round nine. She'll never notice. By the time she gets home, Ang will already be there. Please, Pops."

Marcus nodded, casting a sideways glance at his son. "She sleeps in the guest room. You don't touch her."

"Yeah, of course. I won't do nothin', Pops, I swear."

* * *

Esai woke up in the middle of the night and rushed to the bathroom, emptying his stomach in the toilet. Brushing his teeth, he took two Advil and headed back to bed. He stopped next to the bed, his father's words going through his head. He'd promised not to touch her, but it wouldn't be the first time he disobeyed his dad. He headed down the hall and into the guest room, surprised to find her awake and sitting up in bed, a book open in her lap. "You're up," he stated from his place as the doorway.

"So are you," Angela replied on a tight smile.

"Got room for me?" he asked, nodding to the tiny twin bed. Angela nodded, setting aside the book and gesturing for him to get in bed. He lay down, putting his head in her lap. Her fingers tangled in his hair, her nails dragging lightly across his scalp. He closed his eyes at the soothing feel of it. "Why you up?"

She shrugged a shoulder. "Thinkin' of what my _tia_'ll do to me when she finds out what happened."

Esai opened his eyes to look up at her. "It'll be all right, Mama. She ain't gonna find out. My dad took care of it."

She sighed, a doubtful look on her face. "She _always_ finds out, E. Hap too."

"Your cuz can't do shit, _chiqui _so it don't matter. Relax," he said, raising an arm to touch her cheek.

"Whatever you say, E," she murmured, leaning over and kissing his forehead. "How you feelin'?"

Esai shrugged a shoulder. "Better now," he said, pulling her in for another kiss. He moved his head from her lap and tugged her hand."C'mere and sleep."

She smiled and stretched out next to him, letting him wrap his arms around her. They hadn't gone all the way yet, though it wasn't for his lack of trying. Two of her friends had already gotten pregnant which scared the shit out of her. She just wasn't ready, but Esai was good about it. He didn't push too hard. She kissed him once more before cuddling into his chest, relaxing in the safe circle of his arms.

A few hours later, he woke up alone. He raised an eyebrow when he heard laughter coming from the kitchen, barely audible over the sounds of the Tejano music pumping through the small countertop stereo. The smell of breakfast hit his nose, making his stomach grumble hungrily as he headed towards the kitchen.

"Marcus loved this one. _Mira, _this is the washing machine," his mother said, swaying her arms to the beat as she moved her hips in circles. "Little circles. _Dale_." (_Look...go)_

Angela laughed as she tried to mimic her, her movements off beat for a moment before she got into it. "_Asi_?" (_Like this?)_

"Perfect, _mija_," Diana exclaimed, grabbing Angela's hands and dancing with her.

He leaned against the entry way, watching his two favorite ladies dance. The smile that was on Angela's face gave him those little butterflies. She was so serious most of the time that a big, genuine grin like that was rare. He clapped slowly, catching their attention. Angela's cheeks turned red in embarrassment as she tucked a stray piece of hair behind her ear. "Look at you lovely ladies," he greeted, going over to kiss his mother's cheek first and then Angela's. "Nice dancing."

"She's a natural," Diana said with a proud smile before frowning and brandishing a finger at her son. "You and I are going to have a talk, _mijo_. Getting arrested is unacceptable."

Esai hung his head down in shame. "I'm sorry, Ma. Didn't mean to get caught."

She didn't seem very impressed with his answer, though she didn't comment more on it, instead she turned to Angela. "And you, _mija_? What were you doing?"

The young girl shifted awkwardly, playing with the ring on her finger. "I don't know," she murmured bashfully.

"She was driving us, Ma. She wouldn't let me leave until I let her come along 'cause she knew we'd be drinkin' and she didn't want us to drive drunk," Esai explained honestly. "She didn't drink a single drop, Ma. I swear. We put the bottles in her purse 'cause it made 'em easier to carry."

Diana looked towards Angela who was staring open mouthed at Esai. She never would've guessed he'd tell her the truth, essentially selling himself out. "Is that true?"

Angela blinked once before nodding. "Yeah, yeah it is. I just…I wanted them to be safe."

Diana pulled her into a tight hug, kissing her temple. "Thank you, _mija_," she said, putting her hand on Angela's cheek. "Thank God for you. And you, you idiot, you give me your car keys right now! No more driving for three weeks! And no going out drinking with that stupid crew. You stay here and study!"

He glanced over at Angela who looked a bit worried about that sentence. If he was grounded, it meant she was stuck at home. "Can I have my tutor come over and help?"

His mother rolled her eyes and nodded. "Fine. But only_ Angelita _and only studying. You hear me?"

Esai nodded, smirking as he draped his arm over Angela's shoulders and kissed her temple. "_Por supuesto_." (_Of course.)_

* * *

Happy sat up a little straighter when he saw Angela walk in. It'd been a whole year since he'd seen her last. He could see the change in the now sixteen year old as soon as she walked in. Her arms were crossed over her chest, eyes lined in winged, dark kohl eyeliner, lips painted a vibrant red. Huge hoops hung in her ears and her hair was dyed dark red.

She didn't hug him. Just sat down, her arms still crossed over her chest. She wasn't a little girl any more that was for sure. She'd grown up, her body showing the beginnings of an hour glass figure. She had trouble written all over her. "Happy Birthday, kid," he greeted, sitting down across from her with a sigh.

"Thanks," Angela replied curtly.

"You get my present?"

She nodded. When she'd woken up that morning, her aunt had given her the box to open. Inside was her very own Glock and a beautiful leather holster to match. Etched on the either side of the holster were angel wings, another custom job. "Thanks."

That was not the response he was looking for. It'd been a bitch to get Tig to get her the right gun with the custom holster. He owed his brother a shit ton of favors for it, and Angela didn't seem to even care about it. He thought she'd be stoked. "The fuck is wrong with you?" he asked, anger flashing through his eyes.

She shrugged a shoulder. "Nothin'."

"Where you been?"

"Around."

"What's this I hear about you and the Mayan? Thought I told you to end that shit."

Angela shrugged again. "You did, I didn't," she stated simply. Her eyes met his, a defiant look to them.

Happy sighed, that was an argument he didn't want to get into again. He'd finally gotten her to visit, he wasn't going to risk her leaving for the same old fight. "Heard you got an MIP."

Her eyes widened slightly before she caught herself and hid her surprise with a calm mask. "From who?"

"Got my sources. Don't worry about it."

She huffed at that, rolling her eyes at him. "I wasn't drinkin'. I was drivin'," she said as if it was no big deal. "I just had the bottle in my purse."

"The fuck you drivin' for? You don't got your license yet."

"I know how to drive," she said, rolling her eyes at him. "E won't let me drink with 'em for another year, so I drive them around. It's fun."

Happy's hand clenched into a fist, his eyes darkening with anger. Hearing the way she trusted the Mayan like that drove him absolutely crazy. "You lettin' some punk ass Mayan boss you around?"

She scowled. Her relationship with Esai wasn't like that. He didn't boss her around, most of the things he kept her from doing were for her own good. Even she could see that. "No," she replied on a scoff.

"Who taught you to drive?" he demanded. That was supposed to be his job. He'd promised her father he'd teach her everything he'd been taught. How to drive was one of them.

"Marc," she answered softly. "Well, E started but then when Marc found out he took over. Said he didn't want me learnin' from someone who got a speeding ticket the first day he had his license."

Happy tried to place the name. It took him awhile, and he still wasn't sure he had it right. "Marcus Alvarez? The Mayan VP is teachin' you to drive now?"

Angela nodded, playing nervously with her rings. "Ain't got anyone else to teach me. Ma won't even talk to me anymore 'less its to yell about how disappointed she is in me. Your Ma says I'm not ready, but I am. I'm a good driver, y'know. Marc says I'm better than E. Says I pay attention to detail well."

He ran a hand over his face, trying hard not to be mad at her for the family she'd fallen into. It was his fault that he couldn't be there to steer her clear of them, and though he hated that they were Mayan, he knew she needed strong men like Marcus in her life. At least if she was with those damn Mayans, they'd keep her safe. " 'course you are, kid," he said on a sigh, deciding to let it go for now. It was clear there was nothing he could do while they were inside. "How's school?"

She shrugged a shoulder. Most days she skipped out on classes, getting her homework from friends and stopping in to take tests. She still maintained a high GPA despite her absences, and as long as she kept that up, the teachers didn't give a shit; they had other things to worry about. "Fine."

"They allow you to wear all that crap on your face?"

"It's called makeup, and yes, its allowed," she snarked back. "It's high school, Hap. I'm not a baby anymore."

"You look like a goddamn clown," he said, shaking his head at her in disappointment. "Your Ma let you dye you hair like that?"

Angela rolled her eyes. "As long as I'm making the grades and out of her way, she doesn't give a shit. I like it."

"What'd my Ma say?'

She fought the urge to grimace when she remembered Elena's reaction to her new look. The older woman had taken her by the ear and shoved her head under the shower trying to wash it out. "Nothin' she can say. It's permanent," she shot back on a shrug.

Happy shook his head in disappointment at her. "What are you doin' with your life, kid?"

"Whatever I want," she answered back, looking at the guard that was looming over her shoulder. "We done?"

"Five more minutes if ya want 'em, sweetheart," the guard answered, leering at her in a way that made Happy want to deck him.

Angela looked at Happy, her eyebrows raised as if to ask him what more he wanted from her. He sighed, rubbing a head over his shaved scalp. He waited for the guard to move away before clearing his throat. "You comin' to visit with Ma again soon?"

"Dunno," she answered honestly, her eyes sweeping over the concrete building. "I hate this place and you got like three more years left."

"One and a half," he corrected.

She snorted at that, rolling her eyes as if it was the most ridiculous concept she'd ever heard. "On good behavior, and we both know that's bullshit. You don't do good behavior."

Happy shrugged a shoulder. He had a reason to behave well this time. If he didn't, that meant three more years away from her. Three more years for her to fall deeper and deeper into the life her father wanted her away from at all costs. He wouldn't let that happen. He was going to get out in two and kick her ass into shape before she had a chance to become a Mayan Old Lady. "I'm doin' my best here, kid. Want to get out as soon as possible for ya. Get your head on straight."

Guilt washed over her at his words. She resented him for not being there for her, but he was trying his best to get out early. That alone showed how much he cared for her. Happy didn't behave for just anyone. As much as she hated that he was gone, there wasn't anything she could do to change it. Acting out and getting into trouble wouldn't get her anywhere, it wouldn't bring Happy back. She ducked her head as tears filled her eyes, trying her best to hide them.

He watched her eyes get glassy with tears, and sighed. There was his little girl. She could put on the badass front all she wanted, but her heart was still true, still good. The little girl with big dreams and a heart of gold was still in there, buried beneath the lip liner and hair dye.

"Okay," she said on a breath. Her bottom lip quivered for a minute before she inhaled, strengthening herself as he taught her. "I miss you, Hap," she confessed finally.

He reached across the table and took one of her small hands in his own. "Miss you too, kid," he replied, squeezing her hands. "Don't stop visitin' me. I don't care what you look like or how pissed you are, when Ma comes, you come. Understand?"

Angela nodded, swallowing hard to keep away the tears that were threatening to fall. "Okay."

"Time," the guard said staring at Angela's chest instead of her face. Happy's hands closed into fists, but he held back his rage. Angela was the reason he was behaving. Decking a guard to defend her wasn't going to help his case any.

She stood and walked around the table to hug her cousin pressing her face into his chest the way she did when she was little before he went on a long run. He ran a hand over her soft hair, dropping a kiss to her head. "Love you, kid," he whispered in her ear, soft enough so only she could hear it. "I only want what's best for you."

"Love you too, Hap," she replied, her words sounding choked. "I'll see you soon."

* * *

Esai watched Angela as she stared at the beach in front of her. It was his graduation party and his whole family had monopolized the picnic area at Stinson. The grills were fired up, music was blasting, and the booze was flowing freely, yet his girlfriend had disappeared to sit on the beach alone. He stood there watching her for awhile. Her hair was wet from her quick dip in the water. She was the only one of the girls to go running into the surf despite the freezing temperature of the water. With her hair wet, it looked the same color it had the day he met her. Not the fake red it'd been as of late. He'd never tell her, but he missed the natural color some times.

They'd been together for almost two years now, and he had to admit, he'd fallen hard for the little spitfire. She was constantly keeping him on his toes, making him laugh. "_Que pasa, chiqui_? Why you here by yourself?"

She turned to look at him, a small smile on her face. "Just thinkin'."

There wasn't a stitch of makeup on her face; the ocean had washed it away. He thought the makeup accented her features well, but without it, he could see her true beauty. Sitting beside him was the girl he met a year before, swinging on the swings. " 'bout what?" he questioned, brushing a stray hair from her face.

"The future," she answered on a sigh, leaning into his touch.

Esai nodded in understanding. "Your _primo_ gets out soon, don't he?" Esai asked, studying her face for any sign of how she was feeling.

Angela nodded, swallowing hard. "Next year," she said, all of a sudden feeling a lump in her throat. She was both excited and terrified for her cousin to come home. He'd be able to be an active part of her life again, one who could help her make changes…changes she wasn't sure she was ready for. "Should be…interesting."

"We gonna be okay? You gonna stick with me, _querida_?" (_Love)_

She smiled a little and looked over at him. "He doesn't own me, E," she said, putting a hand on the side of his face. "I'm a big girl. I can make my own decisions."

Something in her voice told him she didn't truly believe that statement. "I'll protect you, _Angelita_. It'll be okay. I got you, _mami_."

Angela nodded slowly, her eyes drifting back to the water. "What's next for you, E? You gonna stay 'round here forever?"

"Gonna prospect, get my patches, marry you, start a family. You'll never have to work again, _mami._ I promise you that. I'ma take care a you," he replied confidently, moving an arm around her shoulders. "I love you, _Angelita_."

Angela stared at him with wide eyes, completely shocked by those three words. He'd never said them to her before, never once hinted that his feelings ran that deeply. She thought he was just using her for fun. That this fairytale would end as soon as school started up again. She never imagined he had already planned out their lives together. "I love you too, E," she said because she knew that's what he wanted to hear.

He smiled lazily at her, pressing his lips to hers in a quick kiss. "You and me, _mami_," he said taking her hand and kissing it. "For life."

She smiled back at him, all the while feeling the weight of those words. At that moment, the promise of _for life_ was starting to feel like a death sentence. She was sixteen. There was so much more she wanted to do, so much more she wanted to learn and explore. Being stuck at Esai's side while he prospected did not sound like the life she wanted. She wanted her own life. Wanted a chance to spread her wings and find something else, something new away from this town. "Okay," she agreed softly.

Esai kissed her lips quickly, putting his forehead against hers for a brief moment. "Got my cut and patches waitin' for me at home. 'm gonna need someone to sew them on."

Angela laughed and shook her head. No way in hell was she going to do that. It was too much of a tie to the Mayans, put her too close to the club. She was okay disobeying Happy because she liked Esai and his family, but to sew patches on Esai's cut was a move even she wasn't ballsy enough to make. "I can't do that. That's something you gotta do all by yourself, _querido_."

* * *

Angela sat in the jail cell with her head tilted against the cold cement wall, hands balled into tight fists. She was being charged with her second MIP in two years and this time, this time Marcus wasn't going to be able to bail her out. No, they'd gotten caught in Stockton, a place Marcus and the Mayans had no reach. She'd been forced to call her own mother. Unfortunately, she didn't pick up, but her aunt did. Man, had she gotten an earful from her. Esai sat in the cell across the way from her, his head in his hands. With a sigh, he looked over at her. "I'm sorry, _chiqui_."

"I told you I didn't want to go," she ground out through clenched teeth. "I told you it was a bad idea and you just had to…"

"It was club business, _mami_. You know how it goes."

She shook her head. That was bullshit. He hadn't even worn his cut. No, he'd wanted to go to Stockton to score some H to bring home to compare to the heroin the Mayan's distributed. No MC member had asked him to do it; he'd just thought it was a brilliant idea to go to an Aryan party to get the drug sample to impress his potential brothers. They'd gotten caught on their way out. Angela with a bottle of tequila that Esai had slipped in her purse without her knowing. "I didn't need to come with you, and I certainly didn't need you to put that damn booze in my purse!"

"You needed to drive, so I could drink," he said, anger in his voice at her disrespectful tone. " 'n' I needed a place to put my booze."

"I'm not your damn chauffer!"

"You _are _my damn girlfriend! Act like it! You want to be an Old Lady, this is the shit you gotta deal with!" he shouted back at her, standing and wrapping his hands around the bars. "Plus, its my truck. You wanna keep drivin' it, you gotta help me out."

"Fuck you, E," she said on a scowl. She looked down at her hands, going to twist the ring on her finger before frowning, the police had confiscated it.

"Alvarez, your Old Man is here," the police officer said, stepping aside and letting Marcus in.

Much to all of their surprise, he ignored his son and headed straight for Angela's cell. Concern laced his features as he looked over the young girl. "You okay, _mijita_?"

Angela looked up, her eyes wide in surprise. "Yeah, yeah. I'm…I'm okay."

"I left money for your bail, but I can't take you outta here, _Angelita_. You're still a minor. I ain't got no pull here. I'm sorry," Marcus explained, a frown on his face.

"Thanks for everything, Marc," she said around the lump in her throat. "I'm sorry about this."

"_Que _sorry? You think for a second I blame you? No. This is on Esai, _mijita_. You sit tight. We ain't gonna leave until my son apologizes to your Ma or _Tia_," he replied glaring at his son.

Angela blanched, her eyes locking on Esai's. Esai had met her mom and aunt a few times and neither of those times had turned out well for either of them. "No, no, Marc. Its all right. He doesn't have to…"

"He does and he will," Marcus said definitively. "_Vamos. _We'll wait in the lobby."

She waved goodbye to them, groaning in frustration when they were out of sight. She was in deep shit once her aunt got there. Much to her surprise, though, her aunt didn't say a single word to her. They rode way home in silence before Elena sighed heavily. "Do you love him?" she asked softly.

"I don't know," Angela answered honestly for the first time. It felt good to say out loud, made her feel less claustrophobic.

Elena pressed her lips together, letting out a long sigh. "He's no good for you_, mija_. This is the second time now."

She froze, how could her mother possibly know about the first time? "_Tia_…"

"I know. Of course I know," she said on a scowl. Happy had told her a few weeks ago. "What you're doing with this boy…it's too fast, _Angelita_. You're going to get hurt."

Angela stared out the window, contemplating her aunt's words. "I don't have anyone else, _Tia_. I need him."

Elena frowned at that. She wished more than anything that her father was around to guide her. Happy was doing a good job, but her son could only do so much from behind bars. Her niece needed a father figure and as much as she hated to admit it, the father of the hooligan she was currently dating was as good a figure as any. She'd spoken with him outside the police station. He'd apologized profusely, had made his son apologize, and had paid Angela's bail. Though his association with the Mayan MC troubled her, Elena was grateful for the connection. At least Angela had someone to watch out for her while Happy was gone. "Happy's coming home soon, _mija_. What happens then?"

She shrugged a shoulder indifferently. "Nothin's gonna change, _Tia_. This is for life. Esai said so."

"He can say whatever he wants, _mijita_, but in the end, it's your choice," Elena reminded the young girl. "You are sixteen, _mi vida_. You have your whole life ahead of you. Do not stop yourself from getting where you want to be because of him. Go to college, travel, meet new people! This city might feel big, but it isn't. There's a whole new world out there waiting for you. Just…_pensalo. _Don't rush into things." (_Think about it.)_

Angela blinked back the tears in her eyes as she listened to her aunt. She knew Elena was right, but at that moment, she couldn't see her life without Esai no matter how mad he made her. "Okay, Tia," she said as they pulled up in front of the house. She trudged down the hallway to her bedroom, throwing herself on the bed before turning on her side to look at the picture on her bed stand. Her dad and Happy smiled back at her and tears clouded her vision. She was letting them down a little more every day, but she didn't see a way out. "I'm sorry, Daddy. I don't know what else to do."

Elena heard Angela's soft words as she passed by her door. Her heart broke for the young teenager. She'd lost so much so young and was struggling to find herself. Elena wasn't worried about Angela, though. She knew that when her son came home, he'd set her straight, help her find happiness. After all, no one knew Angela better than Happy did.

* * *

**A bunch of stuff going on in this one! Let me know what you think! :) **

**If there's anything you'd like to see more of, any ideas for a one-shot, leave them in a review! I love hearing from you guys!**

**~Love Ink**


	9. Cheating, Homecoming, and Changes

**Posting a new chapter faster than usual because I had it all written and ready to go! The next one should be up pretty soon too! (_Hands All Over_ is a bit slower going because I have to take into account the actual SOA canon storyline...) ;) **

**As always, thank you so much for taking the time to read, review, favorite, and follow! I got back to most of you but thanks also to_ DarkChild19_ (**_Yeah, Angela's mom isn't the best one ever, but at least she has her Aunt who's trying her best... ;) As for Esai and Angela's break up and how that came to be, that'll be addressed in the upcoming chapters...**) and Redkazi.**_

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but Angela**

* * *

**It Won't Be Soon Before Long**

_Chapter 9: Cheating, Homecoming, and Changes_

_ By Love Ink_

Angela walked up to her advanced calculus teacher's desk, her arms crossed over her chest. For some reason the woman was holding her test hostage and had asked to see her after class. She didn't understand why; she'd felt like she'd done well on the exam. There was no reason the teacher should be seeing her afterwards. "What's up, Ms. Row?" she asked, watching as all of the other students filed out of the room. She didn't have a single friend in that class which was why she usually skipped it. "I fail the test?"

Ms. Row's green eyes raked over the young girl. Clad in khaki pants that were too big and a black beater that was too small with way too much makeup on her face, she looked like a thug. But her test scores were through the roof despite the fact that she was rarely in class. She just couldn't make sense of the girl. "No. On the contrary, you got a perfect score," she explained handing Angela the test. "Angela, I hate to ask but…are you cheating?"

Angela's jaw almost dropped in disbelief. _Cheating_? How could she cheat? She was smarter than half the kids in that class! Hell, she'd caught three of them cheating off of _her_. "No. Want me to take it again? I'll do it right here, right now in front of you," she spat, her lip curled into a sneer. She might not go to class, but she was no cheater. "Want to know who's cheating? Check out Donnie's work or Trixie's. I guarantee you, they got the graph wrong 'cause I did it wrong when I saw 'em lookin'. I changed it after they'd turned in their tests."

The younger teacher raised her eyebrows at the young girl, surprised by her answer. She'd been trying to figure out why those two students had all the work right but the graph wrong. Angela's explanation made sense. "Oh. Well, I'm sorry then."

"Yeah, whatever. Can I have my test please?" she asked, tapping her foot impatiently. She'd only gone to class because Esai was doing prospecting shit, so she didn't have anything better to do.

"Are you…are you going to sit for the SAT this weekend?" Ms. Row questioned, handing over the exam.

"No," she answered curtly, snatching it away. "There's no point. 'm not goin' to college."

"But you have so much potential, Angela. I've seen your grades in the other classes. You've got over a 4.0. You should be looking at Cal or Stanford with grades like that."

Angela shrugged a shoulder. It was the same shit she heard from her aunt on a daily basis. "Yeah, great. Not interested. Can I go now?"

Ms. Row nodded, a sad expression in her eyes. "Don't let things like boys or families hold you back. You'll regret it. You could be the first one in your family to get a college diploma! Wouldn't that be awesome?"

Angela closed her eyes and sucked in a deep breath, trying to control her anger. "With all due respect, Ms. Row, you don't know me. Have you even met my parents?"

"Well no. They didn't come to back to school night. I know its difficult for parents that don't speak English…"

She almost laughed in the lady's face. "Right. I'll have you know my parents speak English _and _Spanish fluently. Or they did. My dad's dead and my mother is a nurse so she's always working. And when I say nurse, I don't mean the assisted living kind that don't need accreditation, I mean the registered kind. She went to college."

"I'm so sorry, I didn't know…"

"Of course not," Angela cut her off with a fake smile. "Look, you're a decent teacher, Ms. Row, and I get that its your first year so you're excited to change your students' lives, and I appreciate the effort, really I do, but all I need is for you to keep teaching me calculus. Can you do that, please?"

Ms. Row gaped at her student. She hadn't expected the girl who frankly looked like a chola to address the issue so eloquently or politely. When she'd seen the anger in the girl's eyes, she'd expected her to curse her out and dish out empty threats, not a calm explanation like the one she'd received. "Yes, of course, Angela. I'm so sorry about…judging you."

"Happens all the time," Angela replied on a shrug, a strange kind of sadness in her eyes. She walked out of the classroom feeling like crap. Her eyes glanced out over the front of the building, a smile crossing her face when she saw the Harley parked there, her very attractive boyfriend leaning against it. She had three more classes to go to, but she didn't give a shit; her day just got a hell of a lot better.

* * *

...

* * *

Angela paced the living room of Esai's apartment, worried about him not being home so late. He was a prospect, so she understood that he had to work for the club, but she hadn't heard from him once the whole day; something that never happened. The front door opened and Esai walked in, his head hanging low. "Esai," she breathed, relieved to see him standing there in one piece. She threw her arms around him, hugging him tightly. "Are you okay? _Que paso_?"

His blue-green eyes looked sad as the met hers, one of his hands brushing a stray hair off her cheeks. "I love you. You know that, right? Just you."

She dropped her arms from around him, furrowing her brows in confusion. "Yeah, of course. For life."

He nodded slowly before swallowing hard. "Right. For life," he said, smiling just a little. "There's this…initiation thing I had to do tonight, _chiqui_."

"What was it?" she asked, though she had a feeling she already knew.

Esai sighed, raking a hand through his hair. "When you join, what's theirs is yours and what's yours is theirs…including the…_mujeres_." (_Women)_

"No, E. You didn't," she breathed, her stomach churning. His hands reached out for her, but she stepped away, shaking her head. "Please tell me you didn't."

"_Chiqui_, it was either I sleep with one of them or I let one of 'em have you," he answered, his voice begging for her to understand. "I wasn't goin' to do that to you."

Angela bit back her tears feeling like she was two feet tall. He'd cheated. He said it was for his club, but she knew that was bullshit. He was the VP's son. He didn't have to do shit like that if he didn't want to. Marcus would've understood. "Marc wouldn't have let that happen."

"No, and he didn't want me to do it either, but these are _mis hermanos_, _Angelita_. I can't let them down," he tried to explain. "Special treatment don't look good." (_My brothers)_

She felt like she couldn't breathe. Shaking her head at him, she picked up the keys to his truck. "I gotta…I need some air," she muttered, brushing by him on her way out the door. Once she got into the truck, she put her forehead on the wheel and let herself cry for a brief moment before sucking in a long breath and starting the car.

Esai was awake when she finally got back from her drive around town. He was sitting on the couch, his head in his hands. He looked up at her when she walked in. "Didn't think you were comin' back," he said honestly.

Angela shrugged a shoulder, frowning a bit. "I got nowhere else to go," she answered, her voice barely above a whisper. It wasn't true. She could've gone back to her mom and aunt's place, but she hadn't been there in weeks. Her aunt called her every day begging her to come back, but she didn't want to. They'd moved to Bakersfield because it was cheaper there and her mom got a better job at one of the hospitals nearby. If she were to go back to them, it meant being three hours away from everything she new. The last half of her senior year would be spent at a new high school over there. She'd be torn away from her pseudo-family and friends. No, she wouldn't do that. Oakland was her home. She wasn't going to move away because Esai had made one mistake. "I need to know that I'm the only one that matters, E. That it's me you want."

"Of course, _chiqui_," he said sincerely. "You're all that I've ever wanted, _querida_. For life."

She hated herself for giving in so easily, but she couldn't see another way out. Not without leaving him, and she knew she couldn't do that. "Okay," she said softly, allowing him to pull her into his arms. "Okay."

* * *

...

* * *

Angela sat in the dining room of her Mom and Aunt's new house in Bakersfield watching them as they scrambled around the kitchen preparing a meal fit for a king. After three long years inside, Happy was finally on his way home. Her stomach churned nervously. Happy coming home meant she'd have to face the music for all of the shit she'd been doing the past couple of years. It meant she'd either have to completely ruin her relationship with him or give up everything she had going for her in Oakland…which arguably wasn't much. She'd just graduated from high school, was doing makeup at in the makeup department at Macys, and living full time with Esai who was now a fully patched Mayan. She hadn't taken the SATs nor had she applied to a single college despite having straight A's. She wasn't interested; her life had already been planned by her boyfriend. Happy was going to kill her.

The loud sound of a Harley engine could be heard rumbling in the distance. She fought the urge to run to the door like her Mom and Aunt were, choosing instead to hang back. Sucking in a deep breath, she put on her calm face, stepping out onto the porch and leaning against the side of the house as her cousin and some other Son pulled in. Her aunt threw her arms around Happy's neck as soon as he got off the motorcycle, kissing his face unashamedly before moving to the other Son and doing the same despite not knowing him.

The other MC member was a blonde guy with a stupid grin on his face. Angela was willing to bet that he'd just gotten out of jail too. She stayed put waiting for Happy to notice her. Slowly, he headed up the front steps. "I don't get a 'hello'?" he asked, stopping just a few feet in front of her.

All the resentment that had building up inside of her when he'd left came back with a vengeance. How dare he just saunter in here as if nothing had changed as if he hadn't left her for three years. "Hello," she spat back petulantly.

Happy's eyes darkened with anger. He couldn't wrap his head around why she resented him so much. When he'd left, she been a cute little teenager, all dressed in pink with a sparkle in her eye and a smile on her face. True, he'd seen that anger rear its ugly head when she'd gone to visit him, but he thought they'd gotten over that. Apparently, he'd been wrong.

"Angela!" Graciela scolded, frowning in disapproval. "_No seas tan grosera! Dale un beso y un abrazo.!" _(_Give him a kiss and a hug. Don't be so rude!) _

Angela pushed herself off the wall and begrudgingly kissed his cheek. "Welcome home," she said flatly before going inside.

Happy shook his head at her, glancing back at his mother. "She been like that the whole time?"

Elena sighed as she nodded. "Some days are better than others. At least, when we see her. She's been staying _con ese _Mayan since we moved. Said it was closer to her job, to her friends." (…with that…)

"She graduate?"

"_Si, por supuesto_. Would've been top of her class if she didn't miss school so much. Graci and I have been trying to get her to apply for late admission to a university but…she won't even sit for the SAT." (_Yes, of course)_

Happy sighed, rubbing a hand over his brow as he felt the weight of his cousin's downward spiral fall on his shoulders. "Shit," he muttered, frowning.

He looked at Kozik who looked like he was trying his best not to smile. "Looks like we got our work cut out for us then," the blonde stated on a chuckle. "Where's the food? I'm hungry and somethin' smells amazing!"

Graciela smiled proudly, obviously approving of the new man. She grabbed his arm and tugged him inside. "_Veni, _we've got tamales." (_Come)_

Elena hung back with her son, shaking her head at her sister. "How are you doing_, mijo_?"

Happy put an arm around her shoulders, leaning over to kiss her cheek. "Its good to be home."

* * *

Happy watched as Angela excused herself after dinner to have a smoke. As pissed as he was that his seventeen year old cousin was smoking, he couldn't say anything to her about it; he'd started at the same time. He followed her out, taking a seat beside her and lighting up a cigarette of his own. They were silent for a minute before he cleared his throat, "Ma says you won't take the SAT."

"Yep," Angela replied, taking a long drag off her cigarette.

"You should."

She shook her head, refusing to look at him. "Why? Ain't like I'm gonna go to college."

"You got other plans? Want to be stuck doin' makeup at Macy's for the rest of your fuckin' life?"

Angela shrugged a shoulder. "E said he'll make enough money with the MC to support us both."

"Jesus, Angela. Really? You gonna rely on a man to handle your shit?" he said, scowling at her. He thought he'd raised her better than that. At her indifferent shrug, he switched tactics. "You know how they make that money, right?"

"I don't give a shit."

"Drugs. They're in charge of all the H in Oak-town," he explained, holding back a smirk when he saw her jaw tick. It meant she was listening, that what he'd said had hit it's mark. "That something you want to be a part of?"

"No," she said softly, looking down at her feet guiltily.

"What the hell happened, kid? 'fore I left, you had all your shit together."

"I was fourteen. What shit did I have?" she asked, her dark eyes glaring back at him. "Hap, you missed everything! My first day of high school, dances, dates, prom, graduation…hell, you weren't even here to teach me to drive! Now you expect to come back and tell me what to do? Where were you three years ago?"

"You mad 'cause I missed all that stupid shit?"

Angela felt her eyes well up with tears and hated herself for them. "It wasn't stupid to me," she said softly as she stood up. "I'd already lost dad. I didn't need to lose you too."

Happy felt like he'd been punched in the gut. He hadn't realized the effect his going inside would have on her. "Where you going?" he asked watching as she opened the door to a car he'd never seen before. A low riding truck that was definitely not hers.

"Back home. I shouldn't have come here."

"You ain't goin' anywhere. C'mere and sit down and fuckin' _talk_ to me, kid," he ordered, standing from his seat.

Angela considered it a brief moment before shaking her head. "I need to get home. It's a long drive and I…got work tomorrow."

"You really skippin' out on me?"

"Just returning the favor," she shot back.

Happy gritted his teeth together in an effort not to run over there and smack her. Instead, he turned around and headed inside, slamming the door behind him. He'd get his chance to talk some sense into her. Changing her ways would be hard, but he knew he could do it. He had to, he'd promised her father he'd take care of her and he'd be damned if he broke that promise.

She stood there staring at the door, every bone in her body telling her to chase after him and tell him how much she missed him, how sorry she was for that stupid comment, but for some reason, she couldn't bring herself to do it.

"Hey kid!" a new voice called from the porch.

She looked up to find Kozik heading over to her. "This doesn't concern you," she seethed at him. He was nice enough. Kept her Ma and Aunt laughing all through their meal. Her mother was already in love with him and wanted nothing more to make him her son-in-law. Angela could practically see her planning their wedding.

"Aw, I know it doesn't darlin'," Kozik drawled with his charming smile as he held her car door open so she couldn't leave. "Just thought I'd set your head straight 'fore you go burnin' bridges."

"What's it to you?"

He shrugged a shoulder. "Nothin'. Just listen. I know Hap. I shared that cell with him for three years. And I _know_ how much you mean to him 'cause he talked about you a coupla times. Guy doesn't want anything but the best for ya, kid. You should let him help ya."

She narrowed her eyes at him, shaking her head. "You don't know me. You don't know…"

"What you've been through, yeah, yeah, I know. You got the whole angsty teen thing down pact, kiddo," he said on a chuckle.

"I'm not…"

"You are," he cut her off again. "And that's fine. You'll grow outta it. Just…come back and talk to him. Figure out what you wanna say, think about your life, and then come back and listen to what he's got to say. That little plan of yours you have right now? It sucks. You gonna be little Suzy homemaker? That sound good to ya? You're smarter than that. I saw the grades on the fridge."

"But…"

"Just think about it. You'll figure it out. I got faith in ya," he said, patting her cheek affectionately and giving her a wink before walking back to the house.

Angela stared open mouthed at his back, still trying to wrap her head around the whole discussion. She slid into the truck, starting it up with a shake of her head. "Fuckin' weirdo."

* * *

...

* * *

"Got somethin' for ya," Happy announced, tossing a packet down onto the table where Angela was sitting, a gossip magazine open before her. She was home for the weekend since Esai and Marc had gone out on a run and Diana was visiting family in Mexico. They were coming back that night though, and she kept looking at the clock, counting down the hours until it was time for her to get back to her normal life in Oakland.

Angela carefully picked up the booklet and read the cover. "Mortuary science? The fuck is this?"

He ignored her language, knowing it was something she was starting to grow out of. "Somethin' you'd be good at," he replied, taking a seat at the table next to her. At her questioning look, he nodded to the brochure. "You're smart, kid. Got those…makeup skills. You can do this shit. Easy."

"You want me to work with _dead_ people?" she asked, her nose wrinkled in disgust. "What the hell, Hap?"

"You sayin' you can't?" he challenged, raising his eyebrows at her. "You scared, kid?"

Angela scowled at him and shook her head. "No, 'course I can," she said, grabbing the booklet off the top of the pile and flipping through it. "Where's it at?"

"It's in Tacoma. Two to four years."

She immediately closed it and pushed it away. "No. I can't just leave Oakland, Hap," she reasoned, staring at the happy students on the cover. "My whole life is here."

Happy sneered at that. "That Mayan is here."

She sighed, raking a hand through her hair. "Well…yeah. E is…I love him, I guess."

"You guess," he repeated on a snort. He picked up the pamphlet. "If you ain't strong enough to leave, then forget it."

"I am strong enough!" she exclaimed, snatching it back from him.

"Then apply!"

"All right!" she shouted, scowling at him as she slid the pamphlet back in front of her, taking a more serious look at it. "I probably won't get in, but whatever, I'll try. You happy?"

"There is no try, just do it," he said stabbing his finger at the paper application.

Angela stared at him in mild shock. His comment reminded her of a very similar quote from a movie she'd watched and rewatched when she was younger. "You quotin' Yoda at me, cuz?"

Happy shrugged a shoulder before leaning over to kiss her forehead. "If it works," he answered, ruffling her hair before going to join his mother in the kitchen.

Angela glared at his back before picking up the pamphlet again and opening it. The idea of leaving Oakland, of moving away from everything she knew was scary as hell, but she had to admit, she was ready for it. She and Esai had been skating on thin ice for months now. Ever since he started prospecting. When he wasn't gone, he'd come home reeking of other women, hickeys on his neck, lipstick on his cheeks. At first he'd give her teary eyed apologies, but now, now the asshole didn't even bother to apologize anymore.

The application was simple enough. She didn't even need SAT scores or letters of recommendation. She just had to fill out the form, get her transcripts, and send it in. That was easy. She could totally do that.

Glancing at the clock, she smiled. It was time to head back. Time to party. She stood, tucking the papers under her arm as she grabbed her keys. "I'm headin' out, _Tia_," she called to her aunt, slinging her purse over her shoulder.

Happy walked around the corner and looked her over. "Where?"

"Out," she repeated simply. There was no way she'd tell him she was going to the Mayan clubhouse to celebrate the end of their long run. He'd have a shit attack.

"Where?" he repeated, standing in her way now.

Angela clenched her jaw and stared up at him. "I'm going out with my boyfriend. Where, is none of your concern."

Hap shook his head. "Got that wrong, kid. Ain't leavin' 'til you tell me where."

"She's going to the clubhouse," Elena filled in for Angela, earning herself a glare from her niece. She glared right back at the young girl. Whatever was going to happen next would be for her own good.

"That true?"

Angela crossed her arms over her chest, clenching her jaw as she nodded. "Yeah," she replied through her teeth.

He shook his head again. "You're stayin' here. Ain't gonna let you be some Mayan old lady."

"You don't really have a choice," she said, skirting around him and heading towards the door. She glared at Kozik who was just coming up the walk.

The blonde biker grabbed her upper arms, stopping her. "Hey, hey. Easy there, kiddo. Where ya headin'?" he asked, letting her go when she struggled against him. He saw Happy stalking after her and grabbed her again to keep her from leaving. "What's going on?"

"I'm going out to be with my friends! Is that such a terrible thing?" Angela shouted, struggling against Kozik.

Kozik gave Happy a confused look. No, it wasn't a terrible thing. "What…"

"Mayan clubhouse," Happy explained, taking hold of her arm so Kozik could let go.

"They _are_ my friends! My family! They were there for me when you weren't!" she shouted, hurt and anger in her dark eyes as she glared up at Happy. "They took care of me! I'm not just going to drop them because you say so! You are _not_ my father!"

Those words stung, but Happy didn't let go. Instead he hauled her up closer to him. "Your old man would _not_ have let you do this shit."

"He wouldn't have left me either! Wouldn't have picked the fucking _Sons_ over me like you do! He loved me! He would want me to be happy, whatever the fucking case!" she shot back, struggling against his grip. "If I want to be a Mayan Old Lady then I'm going to be a fucking Mayan Old Lady! Now, let. Me. Go."

"Like hell!" Happy didn't let her go. Instead, he picked her up over his shoulder and carried her back inside as she screamed and kicked. He carried her into her room, practically throwing her onto the bed. "You ain't leavin'," he sneered, getting into her face as soon as she was on her feet again. "You are my kid. _My_ girl. You'll do what _I_ say."

Kozik stood by the door, ready to intervene if things got violent. "He's doin' it 'cause he loves you, kid."

"Fuck off, Kozik!" Angela growled at him, her eyes never leaving Happy's. The two cousins were having the stare down of the century. "I am not a little girl anymore. I can do whatever the hell I want."

"No, you can't! Not while I'm around!" Happy shouted.

Angela forcibly pushed him away, her hands on his chest. "I hate you, Hap! I wish you'd a never come home!" she seethed, unshed tears in her eyes.

Kozik watched as Happy's fingers curled into a fist. Quickly, he stepped between them. "Hey, easy, Hap! Think of what you're doing."

"No! Let him hit me! Go ahead, Hap!" she shouted, trying to move in front of Kozik.

Hap pushed Kozik aside and stood toe to toe with his cousin. His hand came up, and she braced herself for the hit. It never came. Instead, he grabbed her chin forcefully. "Listen here, kid," he growled, anger still in his tone. "I made a promise to your Old Man, and I'm gonna keep it. You wanna hate me for it? Go 'head. I don't give a shit, but I ain't lettin' you slip through the cracks 'cause you think you know what's right. You don't know shit, kid."

He leaned in, pressing a kiss to her forehead before dropping her chin from his hands. With that, he turned and stalked out leaving Kozik and Angela alone in the room together.

"That was a real shitty thing you said there, Angela," he said calmly. "He's your blood. You can't…"

"Fuck you, Kozik! You don't know shit about my family!" she shouted back, all of her calm gone out the window. "He left me! He wasn't supposed to ever leave me, and he did! I _needed_ him! I needed…I needed someone! Esai was there! He cares about me! He takes care of me!"

Kozik frowned, the kid was delusional if she thought that Mayan asshole cared about her. "Does he, kid? I know he cheats, and I know that's gotta hurt. You're better than that."

Angela shook her head, a tear falling down her cheek."Everyone keeps saying that, but I'm not!"

"Why not?" he asked simply. "You can't tell me that you feel like you belong in that clubhouse. That you don't want something more than that life. You're only seventeen, kid. You shouldn't be thinkin' about forever. Shit, kid, I was only a year older than you when I enlisted. I got to see the world, Angie, and lemme tell ya, it's a big world out there. Much bigger than some tiny MC."

She sat down on the bed and let her head fall into her hands. There were so many emotions hitting her all at once. She felt like she couldn't breathe. "I can't, Kozi. I can't," she murmured, shaking her head. "I just can't…"

Kozik reached out a hand, grabbing her chin. "You _can_, kid. We got your back. Whatever you wanna do, we'll be there to help, all right? Just say the word."

"You don't understand. It doesn't work like that. Esai and I…it's for life."

"Goddamn, Ang. That sounds more like a prison sentence than a relationship."

Angela swallowed hard, wiping at her tears as she smiled. "Its all I have right now," she said on a shrug. "I move to Tacoma for this program or whatever, and I'm all alone."

Kozik shook his head taking a seat next to her. He grabbed the pamphlet off the bed and held it out to her. "There's a Sons charter in Tacoma. You're crazy if you think Hap's not gonna jump over there soon as he hears you're movin'. Shit, I'll make the jump too. I need outta Charming. Got a brother who's on my _ass_ for some stupid shit."

"Whatever," she murmured, taking the papers from him.

He flicked the shiny cover of the brochure. "This is your way out, Angie. Go for it. You hate it? You can jump back over. Show Hap how wrong he was. How much happier you are here. But first, you should give it a shot, all right?"

"I already said I'd apply, Koz."

"Yeah, but when you get in, and I know you will," he said cutting her off when it sounded like she wanted to interject, "You gotta promise me you'll try it out. Just for a few weeks."

She narrowed her eyes at him before letting out a long breath. "We'll see," she muttered, lying back down on the bed and looking at Kozik's back. "I'm not going to be able to leave tonight, am I?"

"Pretty sure, Hap took the battery out of your car and hid it. Sorry, kiddo," he answered looking back at her and chuckling as she pulled a face. He stood, holding out a hand to her. "Want to play some pool? Saw the table you guys got in the garage."

Angela nodded, putting her hand in his and allowing him to pull her off the bed. On the way to the garage, Kozik grabbed Hap. Happy and Angela locked eyes for a brief moment making Kozik hold his breath. The moment could easily go downhill, but Angela surprised both of them by hugging Happy as if nothing had happened. Happy ran a hand over her hair, casting a confused look at Kozik. The blonde shrugged as Angela let go and disappeared into the garage. "Think we got through to her?" he asked Happy.

Happy shrugged a shoulder. "For now."

* * *

**Happy and Koz are back in action! I know Angela is a bit of a brat, but she's not perfect. She's young and confused and trying to deal with a lot all at once. ;) Anyway...let me know what you think! Also if there's anything you'd like to see less of/more of or any ideas you have for future one shots, let me know! **

**~Love Ink**


	10. Feeling Good

**Another new update! I'm on a roll with this story! :) But don't worry, Hands All Over is being worked on as well and will be updated soon-ish! ;) **

**Thanks to everyone who took the time to read/review/follow/favorite! I got back to most of you but thanks also to _Kerry_**_ (Glad I didn't disappoint! I hadn't seen that twitter post since I'm not on twitter anymore, but I looked it up anyways and love it! I can't believe he's almost 50 now!)._

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but Angela**

* * *

**It Won't Be Soon Before Long**

_Chapter 10: Feeling Good_

_ By Love Ink_

Angela stared at the big envelope in her hands. It was from the university she'd applied to in Washington. Her mother had dropped it off just a few hours before and she couldn't bring herself to open it. It had to be good news considering its size and weight. She shouldn't be afraid to open it, but somehow she was. Seeing the confirmation that she'd gotten in meant the end of her life there and the start of something new. She didn't know whether to be excited or scared shitless.

She heard the motorcycle pull in outside and sighed, knowing it was Esai back from the clubhouse. Ever since Hap got back, things had been turned upside down in their relationship. He was needy and demanding. Always wanting her there, always complaining when she went to see her family and left him alone. He was rougher with her too. She'd always been taught never to let a man lay a finger on her, but she was in too deep. Without him, she'd have no place to go.

Unless she got into the university. Then she could get out. Then she'd have somewhere to go. Tacoma, Washington with Hap who had jumped to SAMTAC just a few weeks before as if preparing for this moment. Her relationship with her cousin was strained at best now, but she'd do anything to be closer to him. To fix it.

All of a sudden she felt restless sitting there stuck in that tiny apartment with a man who didn't care for her in the way she deserved. She was better than all this, smarter. She could hear his boots thunking up the stairs as she ripped open the envelope and pulled out the papers inside.

Her eyes scanned over the words, heart in her throat as they slowly sunk in.

She'd never wanted this. Not in a million years. If Happy hadn't sat there and watched her write and send the application, she wouldn't have done it. She would've stayed in her terrible life all the while wanting something more.

Esai threw open the door, that cocky grin on his face. He looked her over, leaning to brush a kiss to her temple. "Whassup, Mami?" He was drunk. She could smell the tequila on his breath and the strong smell of someone else's perfume. " 'm goin' to bed. Come join me?"

"Yeah, be right there," she said, disgusted with herself for agreeing to his request when he'd clearly already been with someone else that night.

He didn't ask what was in her hand. Didn't care. All he really cared about was what she could give him. Running a hand through her hair, she inspected the envelope again. On the back was a phone number, scrawled in her Aunt's pretty handwriting. She knew exactly who's number it was. Grabbing their house phone, she quickly dialed it, praying like hell he'd pick up.

"Yeah?" came the answer.

"Hap?" she asked, feeling tears spring to her eyes. She didn't know where they'd come from or what they meant, but she could feel them trailing down her cheeks.

"Yeah, kid?"

"I got in."

* * *

Kozik and Happy stood outside of the small apartment door in Oakland. They could hear the loud voices of two people arguing on the other side. One deep and loud, the other higher pitched. Both were speaking Spanish with an English word tossed in there every once in awhile. They listened in briefly before they heard a loud smack. "You dumb bitch!" the man roared, his words clear as day.

"Stupid _vato_," Happy growled before kicking in the door, gun drawn and ready. Angela and Esai stood in front of them, Esai clutching at his red cheek, one hand wrapped tightly around Angela's arm. Luckily for Esai, _she'd _been the one to hit him, not the other way around. Otherwise, Hap would've pulled the trigger without a second thought.

Kozik stepped in behind him, gun in hand but not aimed. "I'd let her go if I were you."

Esai stared at them both, dumbfounded. He knew her cousin was out of county, but she'd told him that Happy had moved to Tacoma. He'd been glad her cousin was so far away. It meant that the Son couldn't take her away from him. He'd never expected him to show up like this. "What the fuck are you doing here?"

"Let. Her. Go," Happy ground out, cocking his gun with an audible click.

He dropped her arm, shaking his head at her. "Seriously, Ang? _No puedes pelear conmigo sin llamando a estos perros_?" (_You can't fight with me without calling these dogs?)_

_"_Shut the fuck up, Esai," she spat at him, rolling her black lined eyes. "_No sabia que venian. Pero pienso que es tiempo que te ibas." __(I didn't know they were coming, but I think its time for you to leave.)_

_"Es mi casa, puta!" (It's my house, whore!)_

Happy took a step forward at the word, no one called his cousin a whore. Kozik held him back. "Ey, 'ey, easy there, killer."

Angela swallowed hard as she nodded. "Give us a minute?" she asked looking pleadingly at Kozik.

"Like hell we will," Happy growled back at her.

She sighed, raking a hand through her long hair before looking back at Esai. "_Terminamos esto manana, E. Te lo juro pero tienes que irte ahora antes de que algo malo pasa." __(We'll finish this tomorrow, E. I promise. But you have to leave before something bad happens.)_

Esai seemed to consider his option before straightening out his cut. "This ain't over," he said in her ear as he passed her. "_Tenemos que resolvar esto, mi amor_. _No tienes que ir a esa escuela. __Yo te voy cuidar." (We need to resolve this, my love. You don't have to go to that school. I'm going to take care of you.)_

_"Lo hablamos manana," _she assured him, patting his arm gently. She stood on her toes and pressed a kiss to his red cheek before gently touching it with her fingers. "Sorry about that." (_We'll talk about it tomorrow.)_

"Ain't no thing, _chiqui_," he said, trying to look tough. He dipped his head to kiss her lips then straightened up and puffed out his chest, glaring at Koz and Hap as he headed out the door.

She stared at the Mayan artwork on the back of his cut, a sinking feeling in her stomach as Happy closed the door behind him. She knew why they were there. Why she'd only heard one Harley pull up in front of the house. "I'm not going," she said before Hap could start.

"You get in?" he asked tucking his gun back in its holster.

Angela clenched her jaw shut as she nodded. "Yeah."

"Then you're going," he said curtly. "Get your shit."

She crossed her arms over her chest, widening her stance to look as tough as she could. "I'm not going anywhere."

"Yeah, ya are," Happy growled at her just as Kozik wrapped a beefy hand around her wrist. Happy disappeared outside before coming back with an empty cardboard box. "What do you need?"

Angela struggled against Koz's hold. "Nothin','cause I'm not leaving!" she exclaimed, kicking at Kozik's legs.

"Ouch, shit, Hap! She fuckin' kicked me," Kozik shouted, glaring at the younger girl. "What the fuck is wrong with you? We're trying to help you! Get you outta this dump!"

"Fuck you! I don't need your fucking help!" she shouted at him, her finger waving in his face.

Kozik wished he could break off that little finger. Happy appeared out of the bedroom, a pair of handcuffs in his hand. "Kinky," Kozik commented, raising his eyebrows suggestively at Angela.

"You can't just handcuff me and pack my shit!" Angela exclaimed as Happy came towards her with the handcuffs.

He hooked one easily around her wrist and then hooked it around the pipe of the heater before cuffing her other wrist behind her back. "Watch me," he challenged, smirking as she struggled against it.

Angela fought against the hold of the handcuffs, cursing Esai for buying the more expensive ones that came with a key. She stopped after awhile, sucking in a deep breath. She knew they were just grabbing clothes because, really, it was all she had there. The rest was at her Mom's house, no doubt already packed away and ready to go. As she watched them move out the boxes, an idea hit her.

Happy watched from the bedroom doorway as his little cousin tried to get out of the cuffs. He'd known as soon as she'd grown quiet that she was up to something and was curious to see what she'd do. She used the skills he'd taught her to maneuver her body so that her hands were in front of her instead of behind her. It was clear she had an idea of a way to get out. He couldn't help but be a bit proud of her as he watched her pull a hair clip from her hair, using her teeth to pry it open into the perfect makeshift key.

"She's a regular McGuyver. Someone taught her well," Kozik said quietly, also watching her. The lock clicked and she smirked in triumph. "Too well. Time to go."

Happy nodded, talking just a few quick steps across the room towards her. "Where do you think you're going?"

Her dark eyes widened as she looked up at him, caught red handed. "Shit."

"Let's go," he said, grabbing her wrist again.

"No!" she shouted struggling against him. "Fuck you and your stupid club. You ain't shit!"

Kozik watched as Happy's jaw clenched, his eyes darkening slightly. The girl was treading dangerous waters bringing the club into it. "Cool it, Ang," the blonde warned.

"No," she said still trying to pull her arm out of Happy's grasp. He let her go, expecting her to fall on her ass, but instead, her hand flew up, smacking him upside the chin. She froze in place, her eyes wide, even in her angered state, she knew she'd crossed a line. "Oh shit."

"We're leaving. Now," he growled, easily grabbing her and tossing her over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes.

"Stop! No!" she said, flailing her limbs as she tried to get him to put her down. He threw her into the passenger's seat of the moving van, snapping the open handcuff around the door handle before engaging the child lock and slamming the door shut.

Kozik handed him his helmet before taking the keys to the van out of the car. "I'll drive. You cool down. Wouldn't want you to kill her or anythin'."

"Thanks, brotha," he muttered on a nod.

* * *

Kozik stared at the young girl sitting in the seat next to him, her hand still handcuffed to the door, head pressed against the glass of the windshield as she watched the world rip by. The ugly red streaks in her dark hair were mostly hidden by her ponytail and they'd caught her without lip liner and lipstick on, but he knew those were her usual staples. Her eyeliner had come off when she'd wiped away the tears that she'd tried so desperately to hide. Without all of that chola make up on, she looked young, really young.

"He's doin' it 'cause he loves you, kid," he stated, breaking the silence for the first time in an hour. She sank down in her seat with a sigh but didn't respond to him. "You deserve better than that, Angela."

"You don't know me," she said softly, so softly he wasn't sure he'd heard her at first.

Kozik sighed lengthily. He knew she'd try and pull that card. He thought he'd gotten to know her pretty well over the past couple of weeks he'd spent with Hap, but apparently, Angela didn't agree. "Maybe not, but I know you deserve better than that asshole Mayan who deals H for a livin'."

"He doesn't…"

"Not yet, he don't. But trust me, Angie, that's what they all do. He said he can give you a better life? You think that's true? Bein' an Old Lady ain't easy. Lotta danger that comes with that title…in any club."

Angela stared at the window, her arms crossed over her chest. "I can handle it."

"I don't doubt that. You're related to Hap after all. What I'm askin' is…is that the kind of life you really want?"

"I don't even know."

"You shouldn't know. You're what? Seventeen?" he asked, waiting for her nod before continuing. "You're just a baby. You got a whole life ahead of you. You can…shoot for the moon. Go to school, get your shit together! Find a man who'll worship the ground you walk on. That's what you deserve, kid. You can't tell me you were happy with that Mayan prick. I heard you two fighting in there."

Angela wiped at her eyes, knowing he was right. She hadn't been happy with Esai, but he was all she'd ever known. The only man who'd been there for her consistently.

He could see the tears in her eyes, though she kept her jaw clenched shut. "Angie, I don't know you all that well, but I know you ain't happy. That all that chola shit…it ain't you. Hap said you're smart. Guy thinks you can do anythin' you want, and I'm startin' to agree with him. Hap just wants what's best for you. He worked his ass off to get out early just for you because he's scared as shit that his little girl is fuckin' up her life with some asshole that doesn't love her. Hap _loves _you. He's going to be hard on ya and you're gonna hate him for awhile, but its for the best, kid. He only wants the best. You gotta know that."

The girl was quiet for the rest of the trip, staring silently at the scenery as it flew by. It was summer and the scenery was absolutely beautiful. A sense of calm came over her that she'd never felt before. Gone was the stress of not knowing what she was going to come home to, of being stuck. Rolling down the window, she took a deep breath of the fresh air and smiled, she was free.

"You hungry, kid?" Kozik asked, looking over at her. Her only response was a simple nod. "Good. Gonna pull over at this diner for a bite. Don't…bite Hap's head off, okay? Let's make this as peaceful as possible."

When he finally pulled to a stop and uncuffed her, she hopped down from the car and headed over to Happy. He stared her down for a moment, the look in his eyes daring her to run. Instead, she threw her arms him, burying her face into his chest. "Thank you," she murmured, her words muffled by his cut.

It took him a second to hug her back, but he did, holding her tightly. He dropped a kiss to the top of her head, not at all ashamed to let his tough guy act go in front of Kozik; he trusted his brother with his life. "Love you, kid."

"And what about me? I get no love 'round here, I swear," Kozik complained jokingly. Angela let go of Happy and hugged Kozik. The blonde biker swept her off her feet in a bear hug, kissing her cheek.

Angela waited for him to set her down before grabbing both of their hands and pulling them towards the diner. "C'mon! I'm hungry!"

* * *

Angela walked around the pretty barren apartment, smiling to herself at the little details. Hap had explained it was a "Sons" apartment. One that the club had bought in case visiting members didn't fit in the clubhouse or didn't want to stay there. That being said, if any Sons needed a place to stay, the two guest rooms should always be ready to house them. She didn't mind that much, knowing it would hardly ever happen. Happy didn't want her anywhere near his club. She was pretty sure if his brothers needed a place to stay, she'd be the last resort. The apartment was decked out in Harley décor along with a black leather couch and black granite counters. It was perfect.

"What do you think?" Kozik asked, tossing the last box onto the ground. There weren't many boxes, just her clothes, books, and movies.

"Very biker chic," she commented with a satisfied smile.

"Should have everythin' you need," Happy said, looking around the place himself. They'd had the sweetbutts clean it out and stock it up for his cousin. He sat down on one of the couches, stretching his legs onto the coffee table in front of him as if he owned the place.

Kozik threw himself on the other couch, looking at the rather large TV. "Got any good movies, Angie-pie?"

"_Star Wars_?" she suggested, grinning as both men let out sounds of agreement. She dug through her boxes for the old tape, putting it in then heading to the kitchen. Searching through the different cabinets, she found popcorn and some beer. Grabbing two big bowls, she made the popcorn and brought over the beer, handing one bowl to each of the men before distributing the bottles, taking one for herself as well.

Happy grabbed the bottle from her hands. "Got a few more years, kid," he said, taking a deep pull from the bottle. Angela glared at him but kept her mouth shut as she sat down next to him. Rolling his eyes, he handed the bottle over. She'd been through a lot that day, if anyone deserved a drink, it was her. "One time."

She smiled at him, taking the bottle and relaxing into his side as the opening scene began. It wasn't long into it that both Hap and Koz were out cold. Sighing, she stood and headed to her bedroom, grabbing her cordless phone along the way. Lying back on the navy bedsheets, she dialed a number she knew by heart and waited.

"Yeah?" the smooth voice came.

Angela smiled as the familiar butterflies fluttered through her stomach. "Hey E," she greeted on a sigh.

"Hey _chiqui_. _Donde estas_?" Esai asked, a worried note in his voice. (_Where are you?)_

"Tacoma," she answered, running a hand through her hair. "I'm going to go to school, get my degree."

"Figured that was what's up," he muttered, sounding disappointed. "Then what'll you do? Come home to me?"

She didn't know the answer to that. It would take at least four years to get her degree, a lot could change in four years. "I don't know, E. That what you want?"

She could practically hear him raking his hands through his hair as he sighed. "_No se_. 'ey, you…you remember Dani Casilla?" (_I don't know.)_

"Sure. She was in your class, wasn't she?"

"Right, right," he said, his voice cracking a bit. "She's pregnant."

Angela blinked at the information. It was a strange time for him to tell her. "Oh yeah? Congrats to her, I guess."

"No, you don't get it. _Chiqui_, the baby is mine," he admitted. " 'n I…I can't do anythin' about it."

"So that's it," she breathed, tears coming to her eyes before she could stop them. "We're done."

"_Angelita, _please. It doesn't have to be like this."

"It does, E. You got your Old Lady and your baby. It's everything you ever wanted," she said, defeat in her voice.

He sighed again. "_Pero_, I wanted it with you, _chiqui_."

"I know," she said, her breath catching in her throat. "We can't always get what we want though."

"I'm so sorry. I love you, _Angelita, por vida_. _Entiendes_?" (_For life. Understand?)_

Angela looked down at her hands, wiping at her eyes as she nodded. "Love _her_ now. Love your baby," she replied. "They deserve it."

Esai sniffled a bit. "All right, _chiqui_. You gonna come visit ever?"

"Probably not," she replied honestly, laughing a bit. "At least not for a long time."

"That's fair," he said, regret in his voice. "I'll miss ya, _chiqui_."

Angela laughed again, wiping at the tears in her eyes. "Yeah. You too, E. Thanks for…for always being there for me."

"Don't thank me, _chiqui_. I put you through a lotta shit, and I'm sorry. Wish this coulda ended better," he said on a laugh of his own. "Pops wanted me to tell ya you're always welcome in our house. That the Mayans always got your back."

"Tell 'em thanks, E. I'm gonna go to bed now. I'll talk to you later, yeah?"

"Yeah, _chiqui_. _Buenas noches_," he whispered. "Love you."

"Yeah. Night," she replied, hanging up the phone and staring at the ceiling. A soft laugh escaped her lips. That'd been easy. Almost too easy. She couldn't believe it. She was finally free from everything. From Esai and his cheating ways, from her mom and aunt's watchful eyes, she was making a new start all on her own, and it felt good.

* * *

**:) I listened to "Feeling Good" by a whole bunch of different artists while writing this. My favorites were Nina Simone, Michael Buble, and Muse. (Can you tell I listen to all kinds of music? haha)**

**Anyways, there it is. Ang is finally outta Oakland with her boys in Tacoma. With that in mind, is there anything in particular you as readers would like to read about? Any ideas or prompts? Just let me know! I have a bunch to post, but its always fun to hear what you want to read! **

**Thanks!**

**~Love Ink**


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